Like It Or Not, The Past Won't Stay There
by girlinpink44
Summary: Shawn Spencer had it all: the girl, his secret, and his business with his best friend. A visitor to Santa Barbara threatens to turn his world upside down and Shawn isn't sure he can rise to the challenge. Add in the fact that his past is coming back to haunt him and he's in for a tough case. Rewrite of Sydney - AU after Lassie's wedding - First in the Sydney Series
1. The Road So Far

**Author's Note**

 **I'm back! It's been awhile, I know. But I was rereading the Sudney stories and decided that they needed a facelift. So here I am, starting Sydney again. There are some changes, you'll see some here in the introduction and more will ripple down as we go.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the changes I've made. I'm excited to play with Sydney again. For those of you who didn't read this the first time around, this is an AU that branches off from cannon not too long after Lassie's wedding. I'll get into it more later, but Shules reconciliation was a little different and (spoilers for Season 8) everyone stays in Santa Barbara.**

 **Plus there is Sydney...**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

2005- Santa Barbara

"Look, I've called in dozens of tips. Okay? Just check it out." Shawn couldn't believe the predicament he'd gotten himself into this time. Actually, he could believe it and was surprised that he hadn't seen it coming.

"I did. I checked out a whole lot of stuff. Like…Oh! You're currently unemployed. Never held a job for more than six months. And, you have a criminal record." The head detective, Shawn had a feeling he'd seen him somewhere before, apparently was feeling the need to prove himself. Maybe to the lady detective who was sitting next to him.

"I was eighteen."

"Eighteen? Oh, well that makes it okay. Let me just scratch this out." The detective's face was full of sarcasm.

"I borrowed a car-"

"You stole a car."

"-to impress a girl. " Shawn finished his sentence.

"Look, forgive us Mr. Spencer if this seems farfetched." At least his partner was being somewhat reasonable.

" Would it help at all if I told you that she had a bit of a reputation and that I was "O" for… high school? …Okay, fine. There were extenuating circumstances. The arresting officer was my father. He was trying to teach me a lesson."

"Did ya learn it?" The detective learned in waiting for his answer.

Present Day

The car drove past a sign on Interstate 5 that announced to the driver that she was just five miles outside of Santa Barbara.

"Almost there, Chipper. You excited?" She looked in the rearview mirror at the white rabbit in the cage. His nose twitched in response and a grin broke out on her face. A grin, those were coming more and more often these days.

Letting out a sigh, she cranked the radio and couldn't help but laugh when Dreamer's latest single came on. Some parts of her past she would never be able to fully hide from, but it would be those parts that helped her remember.

"Incoming call, Alex Taylor." An automated voice rang out, cutting down the volume of the radio.

"Answer." A sigh escaped her lips as she heard the click of the calling picking up.

"Almost there, kid?"

"Last road sign said five miles. GPS says I'm about a ten minutes from my hotel."

"Beachfront?"

She laughed. "I'm in California, in November, what do you think."

That earned her a chuckle from Alex. "Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I'm ever going to be."

"Sydney, it's not too late to come back."

"It was too late the day Mom died."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?"

"You couldn't have stopped that."

Sydney pounded a fist on the steering wheel. "I could and should have."

Silence filled the car for a moment as both seemed to be lost in their thoughts. "Will you ever come back?"

"Not like before." Sydney ran a hand through her hair. "I can't. I need to do this Alex. I need to meet him, need to figure things out, need to figure out who I am because who I thought I was isn't enough anymore."

"You sound older than you are."

"I have for a long time." Sydney felt a smile grow. "That's going to be the trick of pulling this off."

"Your plan is crazy."

"My life is crazy."

Silence followed and Sydney could picture Alex shrugging. "You know I can't see you shrug."

That earned her another chuckle. "Take care of yourself and keep in touch."

"Will do, you too. Tell Janice and Kelsey that I say hi."

"I will. Talk to you later, Syd."

"Later Al."

The phone clicked and was replaced with the radio again but Sydney was lost in her thoughts. Was she doing the right thing? What other choice did she have?

A sign on the side of the road welcomed her to Santa Barbara, California and the lights of the city spread out in front of her.

"In two miles, take exit 179C towards oceanfront." The automated voice cut in.

She left the Interstate behind and made her way onto a beachfront road and with a push of a button, the roof came down leaving her to breath in the salt air.

She could get used to this.

California Correctional Facility - Also Present Day

The screens in front of the guards flickered between the few dozen cells that made up that particular block. Cells, to hallways, to the deserted common areas - thanks to lights out which was a half hour ago. Both guards had their hands firmly on their coffee mugs and one eye on the clock waiting for the shift change that would happen in just a few minutes.

A cell appeared on the screen and both men watched the new guy struggle to fall asleep, shifting at every little noise.

"New guy."

"Where's he from?"

The guard on the left looked down at an open notebook. "Santa Barbara. Most of this block is. Though we've got a federal case here too."

"Well, whatever they are doing down there, they can keep it up."

The one on the right held up his mug. "I'll drink to that."

The mugs clinked and both men took a sip before turning back to the screens. "Too bad it's just coffee."

"Shame."

Both men laughed but it was quickly cut off as the room was bathed in red and a siren started to sound.

"What's going on?" The man on the left grabbed a walkie-talkie but received nothing but static.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this! I'm going to push myself to update twice a week so look out for the next chapter Thursday! See you then!**


	2. New Experiences And Familiar Faces

**Author's Note: I meant to get this up earlier today, but better late than never. Time to play catch the references. Before I go, I want to thank Bojaciuk and phnxgrl for their reviews. Glad to see you guys are liking this so far! Hope you enjoy!**

Six men sat in the holding cell as they alternated between glaring at each other and glaring at Shawn who was having fun as he studied them from the other side of the bars. Several had bruises on their face and one had an arm in a sling. All were cross, but Shawn switched his focus as the pieces came into place.

"You want that one." He pointed to the man to the left of the one in the sling. "He's your guy."

"Are you sure?" Detective Juliet Ohara, but to Shawn she was Jules, turned to face him.

"Positive." He faced her as well but nodded to the cell. "But, for what it's worth, it was an accident."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sensing." He put his finger to his forehead and ignored the eye roll she gave him while grabbing her and pulling her close with his free hand. "I'm sensing that our instigator was jostled by the early morning crowd, after all Best Buy did have some good deals but I've yet to see the appeal of waiting in that line when I can buy stuff of the internet with Cyber Monday and Gus' credit card."

"Shawn, the point." She squirmed out from his embrace.

Dropping his arm back to his side, he turned to the cell. "The crowd jostled him into our friend in the blue hat which started the domino effect which led to the fight that landed all of them into the cell."

"How do you know all that?"

"I am but a messenger." Shawn nodded up and turned away from the holding cell as Jules wrote down what he said. "Are you still coming to the Psych office tomorrow?"

"Of course! We can decorate the office, watch Christmas movies on the big screen, take the picture for our Christmas card, and back cookies."

"Christmas card?"

"Yeah, for my Mom and Lloyd. Your parents. Old friends, family, you said you'd do it."

"When was that and were you bribing me with something fried because I don't think I should be held responsible." Shawn followed her up the stairs and back into the bullpen where she sat a pile of files down on her desk.

"You just have to smile for the camera."

"Fine."

"Detective Ohara, have you two finished sorting out the mess downstairs?" Chief Vick came out of her office, file in hand.

"Thanks to Shawn, all the Black Friday fights have been sorted out."

"Well then, once again, thank you for your help Mr. Spencer." Chief Vick's eyebrow went up the way it usually does when she was happy with his services.

"Just another Black Friday, Chief." Shawn shrugged. "And what's Black Friday without a few fights?"

"All the same, thank you for your help. Now there is a case I'd like you to consult on and I'm doing a briefing in about twenty minutes, so don't go far."

With that, she went back into her office and he saw her sit down and pick up the phone. Within a minute, her eyebrows had knitted together in the way they did when she was hearing something she didn't like.

"Wonder what's up?" Shawn watched her for a minute before turning back to the rest of the station. His eyes settled on Lassie who was sitting in the conference room with a girl who's back was to him. "Who's that with Lassie?"

"Not sure, she must have come in while we were downstairs."

Shawn studied the girl and while he couldn't see much since her back was to him, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her. But at the same time he was fairly certain that he'd never seen her before. But something about her was familiar.

"Earth to Shawn?"

He blinked when he saw Jules' hand waving in front of his face. Taking a step back he shook his head. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to…" He trailed off as he made his way to the door to get a better view.

"Don't annoy him too much." Jules called after him.

"I make no promises." His response was more of a mutter as he made his way to the door. Before he could open it, Gus appeared. "Buddy, took you long enough. Chief is doing a briefing in a bit. We've got a case."

"Does that case involve you annoying Lassiter before we can even get to the briefing?"

"No, that's a side project." Shawn opened the door. "Lassifrass! I'm sensing that you might need my services."

"For once, you would be wrong." Lassie rolled his eyes as the girl turned. When he saw her face, his heart dropped to his stomach and he got a nervous feeling in his gut.

No, it couldn't be.

Could it?

He had to find out. "I'm sensing you're not from around her. That maybe you're from DC?"

"One for one so far. Who are you?"

"Shawn Spencer, Head Psychic for the SBPD and this is my partner, Mystery Inc." He pointed towards Gus who just glared at him. "And you are?"

"Sydney Collins."

"Are you related to a Rebecca Collins? Usually likes to be called Becca, about my age, hair like yours, well minus the hot pink stripe."

"She was my mom." The girl brushed said stripe so that it was tucked behind her ear.

Becca was a mother?

"Was?" Gus caught the part that Shawn was missing.

"She passed away about three months ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Collins."

"While you can't replace your mother," Shawn grabbed a chair and dragged it so that he was sitting in front of her, looking into a familiar pair of green eyes. Wasn't possible.

But yet…

"I'm sensing you're here to find something, or rather someone."

"Three for three, not bad." She smiled at him, and once again, it was oh so familiar.

"Sydney, where did your name come from?"

"My mom told me that my dad once said that if he had a daughter he would name her Sydney because…"

"It's somewhere he wants to go." Jules' voice came from the doorway and she was staring at Sydney in shock.

"Sydney," He was sure but he had to be absolutely sure. "Have you ever met your father?"

"Not before today." Her response was quiet and while Shawn couldn't be sure, he wondered if he was the only one who heard it.

"When's your birthday?"

"Yesterday."

"And were you on time?"

"I was a few weeks early."

That was like the last nail in the coffin and Shawn knew who she was.

Looking over his shoulder, he could tell Gus and Jules were on the same page.

"Wait, but who's Rebecca Collins?" Lassiter broke the silence that had settled over the room.

"You met her, years ago. Granted you probably don't remember since you were a rookie rocking an interesting mustache. She was arrested the night my father arrested me for stealing that car."

"When you were eighteen."

"Yeah, Becca had a bit of a reputation, one that seemed to disappear the minute my dad pulled out the cuffs. And at the time, that's just what I wanted, with my parent's divorce and everything that was going on. I spent months convincing her to let me take her out. When she finally agreed, someone dared me to steal her neighbor's car and use it for the date. So, I did. After that night, she wanted nothing to do with me."

"So how does she fit in?" Lassiter nodded to Sydney.

"Apparently, Becca and I did more that night than we thought." Shawn looked back at the girl who was sitting in front of him. He noticed she was studying him and almost let his jaw drop when he saw her do a little head tilt like the one that Gus usually called him out on. The gasp behind him told him he wasn't the only one to catch it either.

But before anyone could say anything else, Chief Vick popped her head in. "I need you guys out here for the briefing. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Chief." Shawn nodded to the group. "Head out guys, I'll be there in a second."

One by one, the group filed out, leaving Shawn alone with Sydney. Jules, the closest to the door, was the last to leave and she looked at the pair before turning and heading out, closing the door behind her. It closed with a click and Shawn turned back to face Sydney.

"I swear I had no idea."

"I know." A sad smile graced Sydney's face. "For years, I was angry at you, so angry that you weren't there. But then…"

"Then what?"

"Then, a week after my mother's funeral a friend brought me a letter. In it, she told me about you. So, I decided to come and see for myself. Plus I needed a fresh start after what happened and this seemed like a good opportunity."

"What happened?"

Sydney bit her lip before letting out a sigh. "Someday, I'll tell you. But right now, please don't ask me to go over it again."

Shawn studied her for a second and could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Okay. I've got to get out there." Shawn nodded outside.

"Leave the door cracked."

"Will do." Shawn stepped out of the room and into the bullpen, sliding into the back of the group beside Gus.

"So nice of you to join us, Mr. Spencer." Chief Vick still noticed. "As I was saying, last night five convicts escaped from the California Correctional Facility. I found out about an hour ago after two of the convicts were spotted just outside of Santa Barbara."

She clicked a button on her remote and four pictures came up on the screen. "Allison Crowly, Charles Wignall, Lily Jenkins, and ex detective Drimmer escaped from their cells and attacked the guards before escaping. They were joined by a fifth convict, a Sergio Crimmons who was convicted in a string of killings up and down the coast."

Another click of the button showed the security feed from the attack and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sydney wave at him.

"What's up?"

"Check the pocket on the blonde."

"What about it?"

Sydney nodded towards the screen. "She's got a cellphone bulge in her pocket and last I checked, inmates usually don't have cellphones on them."

"Nice catch." Shawn slipped back into the briefing just as the group escaped the prison grounds. "I'm sensing Allison Crowly somehow came into possession of a cell-phone."

"I'll look into it." Jules made her way over to her desk.

"I want these five back behind bars, now. There are copies of the files being passed around, familiarize yourself with the information. Keep in mind, they are considered to be dangerous and they might have a vendetta out on this department."

"And a certain psychic detective agency." Shawn muttered under his breath as he glanced at the conference room. Things just got a lot more complicated.

"Dismissed." Chief Vick made her way back into her office and closed the door.

Shawn made his way back to Sydney who had turned away from the bullpen and was looking through a file. "Should I ask how you got that?"

"I might not answer if you do." She didn't look up and instead flipped the page. "In sequential order, you have Drimmer, Crowly, Wignall, and then Jenkins. Out of the four, Jenkins is the lowest threat, wonder why they let her join the group."

"All that is in the file?"

"The dates are, but after I found who you were, I might have creeped you on the internet and found out about Jenkins." Sydney flipped through the files. "But you and Gus should be careful."

"I didn't introduce him as Gus."

"Internet, remember? Did a little digging after I realized your partner's named changed case to case."

"What about our fifth escapee?"

Shawn wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something cross her face. Fear, maybe? But it was quickly off her face and she looked down at the file. "Not sure, he could just be a prison buddy or he could have something on them."

His radar was going off, she was lying to him but he wasn't sure about what. But for now, he was going to drop it. "Well, how about we grab lunch. I'm on my seventh case of the day and it's only noon."

"Seventh?"

"Six Black Friday fights."

Sydney looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh yeah, it is Black Friday."

"You hungry?"

"A bit." Her stomach growled loud enough for both to hear. "Ok, more than a bit."

"Come on, kid."

Sydney got up and Shawn fell into step beside her. "Black Friday fights?"

Shawn laughed. "I got started on doing these when I got called in to solve a fight involving a con man posing as a Santa. Since then, the Chief lets me make some easy money on Black Friday."

"Sounds like you have some stories."

Gus joined them. "Be careful saying that around him, he likes to exaggerate."

"I do not."

"You do so!"

"What are you two, six?" Sydney laughed as they stepped out of the station.

It was dark before the Blueberry stopped in front of the familiar beach-side house. Behind them, a white convertible came to a stop. While they day had been fun, showing Sydney the Psych office, the peanut, pretzel, ice cream, and smoothie vendors of the area, and a few other local spots, they were no closer to solving the case.

And none of the escapees had been seen around Psych's usual haunts.

"Are you sure about this?" Gus turned to him, neither getting out of the car.

"He's going to find out. And it might go a little better if I'm the one to tell him." Shawn glanced out the window at his dad's house and let out a sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Getting out, he turned and saw Sydney studying the house, a look of confusion, fear, and uncertainty crossing her face as all three emotions seemed to try and take lead.

He went over to her door and knocked on the window and she jumped as she turned to him. "Everything okay?"

"New experience overload, just a bit."

He looked at her thoughtful, seeing the chink in her armor that lasted for just a second. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite. Well, me he might but you're pretty safe."

She looked at him. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I tend not to do well with grandparents."

"What's wrong with Becca's parents?"

A sigh was his answer and at first that was all he thought he was going to get before she answered, quietly. "Mom's parents didn't want to have anything to do with me. You weren't around and I think they blamed me for what happened. If I hadn't been born, Mom wouldn't have had to struggle to balance a job while taking night classes. She could have married someone else and been happy. But no, I was there."

At first, Shawn honestly didn't have an answer for her. The idea that Becca's parents had let this little girl, well she wasn't so little anymore, feel that way. Grandparents were supposed to spoil grandkids rotten, let them get away with things that their parents wouldn't.

"Well, I think you are about to have a good experience." Shawn held out his hand and Sydney took it, allowing him to help her up out of the car.

Gus was waiting by the gate and they fell into step together. Before they could reach the porch, the light came on and the door opened and Shawn found himself face to face with his dad about three minutes sooner than he wanted.

"Shawn?"

"Hey, Dad. Got a second?"

"Yeah." His Dad held open the door and the three walked inside. Shawn glanced over to see Sydney study the room, her eyes flying to the different things around before positioning herself so that she could see the front door, the door to the kitchen, and the stairwell.

She'd been doing that a lot today, now that Shawn thought about it.

"Shawn!"

Shawn snapped out of his thoughts and saw his dad watching him. "Care to explain why you're here this late and who she is?"

"If you take a good look, you might know the answer."

The sight that met Shawn next was a highly amusing one. His dad walked over to Sydney and both entered a stare down as one studied the other, neither breaking the stare. To his surprise, it as his father that finally broke the stare, looking away to turn back to Shawn in shock.

"Please tell me you and Becca did not have sex in the back of a stolen car."

"Well, if that would make you feel better…" Shawn took a step back as he felt his father's gaze harden.

"I cannot believe you were that stupid."

"I think we established long ago that I was pretty stupid back then."

"Guys!" Sydney stepped between them. "You two are not about to start up an old fight over me. Cause it looks like you guys are still getting over what had to be years of tension and I'm not going to make it worse."

Henry turned back to Sydney and Shawn watched a variety of emotions cross his face. "What's your name?"

"Sydney."

"Henry."

She shook his hand, a smile growing on her face. "You're not mad at Shawn, are you?"

"I think it was more surprise." A smile grew on his face and already Shawn could see that Sydney would quickly have him wrapped around her finger.

She seemed to have that effect on a lot of people.

"Did you guys eat, are you hungry?" The question might have been directed to the room, but his eyes didn't leave Sydney.

Ruffling in the kitchen proved that Gus had already helped himself but even as they laughed, Shawn could still sense the tension that hung on the trio as they stood around the living room.

"When did you get to Santa Barbara?"

"Late last night, I had Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends in LA but then decided to come up because I had the appointment with Detective Lassiter this morning."

"Where are you staying?"

"The beachfront Sheraton."

"Well, one thing's for sure, Shawn's going to go back with you, check you out, and you're going to stay here for the time being. Cause the way I see it is this house is way to big for just me and while you figure out what you want to do, you have a place to stay."

Tears formed in Sydney's eyes and Shawn watched as she flung herself into his dad's arm. He seemed surprised and rubbed her back and looked up with Shawn a questioning look in his eyes.

"I'll tell you later. And actually, we don't have to go back."

His father nodded and it took Sydney a second to pull herself back together but she then turned to him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"While you and Gus were going on and on about the boring side of Psych earlier, I might have snuck over to your hotel, grabbed your stuff, stashed it in the Blueberry." Shawn turned to his dad. "One question, how are you about pets?"

"What do you have?"

"A rabbit." Sydney smiled.

His father laughed. "She's yours alright."

Gus came out of the kitchen and it only took one trip for them to get Sydney's stuff into the house. Shawn made his way to the guest room and saw a pile of sheets. Just as he was starting to unfold them, his father came in with a comforter.

"You okay?" His dad sat the comforter on a chair and helped him spread out the sheets.

"Yeah, just still processing. I mean… I had no idea and she's." Shawn tucked a sheet into a corner. "She's eighteen, Pops. I missed it all. Her first steps, her first birthday, her first steps, her first day of school, first peewee soccer game, first date, dance, prom, high school graduation."

"You can't change that."

"It doesn't make me feel any better. Those tears earlier? Becca's parents have never wanted to have anything to do with her. They blame her when they should have blamed me. She was scared to meet you because she was scared you would be the same way."

Several emotions crossed his father's face. "Who would do that to a little girl?"

"Here you go, Chipper." Sydney came back into the bedroom with a water bottle. "What do you think?"

The rabbit, Chipper, twitched his nose and Shawn watched her baby it for a second before turning back to the two of them. "I could have done that."

"We didn't mind." Shawn grabbed the comforter and they spread it over the bed.

"Sydney, where does this go?" Gus came into the room holding a bowl of rabbit feed.

"In the cage, right back corner." She let out a large yawn. "You would think I would be off of East Coast time by now."

Shawn adjusted the comforter on the bed and looked up at the girl. "Get some sleep, it's been a long day."

He headed for the door taking a look at the scene. "Night, Syd."

"Night Shawn."

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it! See you all on Monday!**


	3. Wrapped Around Her Finger

**Author's Note: Thanks pynxgrl for your review! Glad you are enjoying the story so far. Hope the rest of you are as well. I got this chapter up earlier today! I'm proud of myself.**

Shawn got up early, at least early for his standards, the next morning. As he woke up, the events of the night before came rushing back to him causing him to sit straight up and gasped. Next to him, Jules stirred before turning to him. "What's wrong Shawn?"

"Last night wasn't a dream. I have a…. a… and that means I'm a … I'm a…."

Jules sat up and started to rub his back. Shawn calmed his breathing trying to relax. It was ok, he would get through this, and he always got through things. It wasn't like he was alone.

"It's going to be ok. She seems awesome, a lot like you actually."

Shawn leaned in to give her a much earned kiss. "Well, some of my awesomeness had to be inherited. But it's hard to believe she's my…"

"She's yours, and you know what?" Jules leaned in for some very close talking.

"What?"

"I better not catch you beating yourself up over not knowing. There's no way you could have known."

"But, with you and Frank." That caused Jules to lean back a bit.

"Frank, knew I existed. You, had no idea." Jules' stern face broke into a smile. "Trust me, relax, get to know her." She got up and Shawn heard the bathroom door shut.

Shawn smiled running his hands through his hair before heading downstairs to the kitchen to start the coffee. He had to admit it was nice to be living in an actual home again. Sure, he had enjoyed the Color Me Mine, the dry cleaners, the pizza kitchen, and even the Psych office, but he truly felt at home here. Though maybe that had something to do with the blonde detective he could hear in the shower upstairs.

Coffee started, Shawn started breakfast for the two of them. He was almost done when Jules came down the stairs, fidgeting with her hair. "You look fine, gorgeous as always."

Shawn leaned in and they exchanged a quick kiss. Jules leaned away and laughed, shaking her head. "You have morning breath, go take care of that."

With a grin, he quickly ate his breakfast before heading upstairs. A half hour later, he was back downstairs and saw a note on the table.

 _Headed to the station to knock out some paperwork. Remember what I said!_

A little while later, Shawn sat at his desk smoothie sitting beside the open laptop as he tried to figure out what the escaped convicts were up to. And what was up with their mysterious fifth person.

One thing he knew for sure was he didn't like the timing of that jailbreak with the appearance of Sydney.

Which was another thing, another big thing that kept distracting him as he tried to work on the case. Sydney was a mystery in of herself. No social media profiles which was unusual for her age. There wasn't much about her at all on the internet though he did find a few pictures of her with some presidents. Barlett, Santos, and Lyman.

"Three presidents, impressive kid."

Not a lot to tell him who his kid was and what kind of life she had in DC. Nothing to tell him what she liked, didn't like, goals, dreams.

For someone who was supposed to know everything, there was a lot he didn't know.

Some more clicking and he found Becca's obituary. The picture that was with it was of Becca with Sydney.

"I'm sorry for the way we left things." Shawn read the obituary, seeing it as the only way to close that chapter as well as to see what kind of woman raised this girl.

"Why does it look like the inside of a guy's dorm here?"

He looked up to see Sydney standing in the doorway, her eyes taking in the office.

"And how do you know what the inside of a guy's dorm looks like?" Shawn felt his eyebrow shoot up.

"Please, I'm 18."

"Who let you come cross country by yourself at 17?"

"Mom's parent's didn't care. You didn't know I existed and I'm used to being independent. Plus I became emancipated so technically, I'm a legal adult and can do what I want. Had a couple of friends help me book hotels since I'm not 21 but otherwise, didn't have any problems." Sydney came in and plopped down on the couch. "Nice couch."

"Changing the subject."

"Did I?" She looked up at him and it was as if his own eyes were staring back at him. "Where'd you get the smoothie?"

"Cart down the street, they have the best pineapple."

"That's pineapple?" Sydney kept up, grabbed the cup, and took a sip. "Oh, that is good. You said down the street?"

Shawn stared at her and felt his jaw drop. Finally, he realized she'd asked a question. "Yeah, down by the park. Tell him I sent you."

She disappeared and Shawn watched her head out, not sure what to think of what he'd just seen. Was that how he came across to other people?

He had to admit it was a little disheartening.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Gus walked in, rolling his silver case behind him.

"Not quite a ghost, just an odd look at something." He picked the cup up and took a sip of the smoothie. "And this case, I don't get it. Why now? Why these four? Why that extra person? Why just after…"

"Just after the kid you had no idea about showed up at the police station?"

"She has my eyes, Gus." Shawn stared at the window, the girl in question was out of sight. "She just stared at me and she has my eyes. It was a little unsettling."

Gus took a seat at his desk. "You're taking it rather well."

"I don't know what to think."

"Where is she?"

"Getting a smoothie from the cart by the park." Shawn nodded to the door. "You must have just missed her."

"Missed who?" Sydney leaned back against the doorway, cup in hand but a sorrowful look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

A sad smile crept onto Sydney's face. "It's just… it's…"

She let out a sigh.

"What's up, kid?" Shawn turned so he was facing her.

"Everyone's decorating for Christmas."

"Most people do decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving." Gus rolled his chair so he was on the same half of the room. "But I don't think that's what you mean."

"It's not." She plopped on the couch. "We always decorated the house the Saturday after Thanksgiving. And part of me wants to, and part of me doesn't want to cause why should stuff go on when she isn't here."

Tears had formed in Sydney's eyes and Shawn look over to see Gus tearing up.

"Seriously, man?"

"You know I'm a sympathetic crier, Shawn." Gus grabbed a tissue out of his desk drawer and went over to hand Sydney a second one.

Shawn came and wheeled his chair so he was right in front of her. "Jules should be here any minute and we were going to decorate the office."

"You were?"

"You want to help?"

She looked up, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand before realizing she had a tissue. "You probably don't know what to think, this girl shows up in your life and cries over Christmas decorations."

"I see a girl who lost her mother way too early." Shawn rolled the chair back beside his desk. "Now, if nobody minds serious Shawn is going to go away and the Christmas decorations are in the closet."

The door opened and shut and Jules made her way into the office. "Sorry I'm late, traffic was horrible. I brought cookies though."

Shawn laughed as the mention of cookies seemed to snap Sydney out of her bad mood and she jumped up to take the plate from her. "Oh, these look good."

"Don't worry, I'm just getting the decorations out. Gus get a movie." Shawn grabbed the tub that held the tree and pulled it out of the closet. He dragged it to it sat by the window. "Gus, where are we putting the couch for the next month?"

The next couple hours passed quickly as the group transformed the Psych Office from it's normal look to a winter wonderland. Fake snow painted on the window, tree in place (couch moved to the reception area to hide), and plenty of tinsel covering almost every surface of the office.

All four were sitting on the floor, Monopoly board out. Sydney was winning by a large amount, somehow managing to have hotels all over the board.

Shawn watched her laugh and joke with Gus and Jules and was a little worried about how fast she was working her way into his heart. Shoot, if he was honest with himself, she already had him wrapped around her finger. When she'd been crying earlier…

"Shawn?"

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

Sydney handed him the dice. "You're turn."

Her stomach growled and everyone looked at her.

"Had a light breakfast and I guess the cookies aren't cutting it."

"Gus, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Jerk chicken?"

Shawn held out his fist and Gus bumped it as he turned to Jules. "You coming?"

"Sure."

They got up and found themselves sitting in a booth with plates of Jerk Chicken. Sydney seemed to switch between a conversation with Jules and one with Gus talking about two completely different topics and Shawn was content to watch.

He noticed she seemed to be hiding something, it reminded him of himself a bit. Like she was trying to act her age when it seemed like she was smarter.

"Hey Syd?"

"Yeah, Shawn?"

"How did you graduate high school early?"

"Started early and skipped a grade" She stuffed a bite of chicken and Shawn wondered if it was an avoidance technique.

Before he could think about it much, the Hamster Dance suddenly rang out and Shawn realized that it was his phone. Pulling it out, he saw that it was Lassie. "Lassie, what's up?"

"Don't make me regret saying this, but I need your help."

"Why would you regret asking for my help? I thought you loved working with me and Gus."

"Spencer, get down here now."

"What's going on?"

"I've got a suspect from the prison and we have reason to believe that he gave Crowley the phone as well as assisted in their escape."

"And?"

"And he's not talking and…"

"Come on Lassie, you can say it. You're talking to friends now."

"Spencer."

Shawn held in a laugh as he nodded to Gus who waved for the waitress. "Lassie."

"Get down here, you can sometimes get tough subject to talk."

"As soon as we pay for lunch, we'll scurry down there."

"Scurry?" Jules, Gus, and Sydney all said at once.

"I can't do this with you all right now."

"Just get down here."

"On our way Lassie." Shawn hung up as the waitress brought back Gus' card and a couple of boxes. Soon they were out and the Blueberry was following Jules' car to the station.

Shawn had disappeared downstairs with Gus leaving Jules with Sydney who was sitting beside her desk filling out the forms needed to get her a visitors pass into the station. Just the idea that she was doing this made Jules wonder about the future.

Shawn had a kid, one that held the name he wanted for a girl. She remembered when he had first mentioned it, about a year ago, not too long after they had gotten back together after Lassie's wedding. He still hadn't made it there but here sat the kid who held that name.

What had Becca been like, to be willing to give a name that would constantly remind her of the girl's father?

Jules shook those thoughts away and tried to focus on the jailbreak the night before. But all she could see in the file was Allison's name and that just brought back the memories of that case, ones she had shoved behind and door and thrown away the key. Jules felt herself shiver.

"Are you okay?" Sydney looked up from her paperwork.

"Yeah."

"Is it Allison? You know Shawn isn't going to let her anywhere near you, right?" She held up the clipboard. "Take this back up to the front desk?"

"Yeah, they'll give you a temporary pass until we get you a real one made. Does this mean you're going to stick around?"

Sydney shrugged. "At least for a bit, gotta figure some things out and maybe get a chance to see where my parents grew up, figure out who I am, and make some memories."

She disappeared, not giving Juliet time to answer which suited her fine. It gave her time to think. Off and on all day, Sydney would have moments where she appeared years older than she really was and Juliet couldn't help but wonder what was in this girl's past that would send her running across the country.

Carlton came upstairs, frustration obvious on his face. "Every time. I spend all day grilling a suspect and within minutes he waltzes in and gets the information."

He turned to go back to his desk just as Sydney rounded the corner. They collided and both ended up on the floor.

Juliet rushed out of her chair just as Lassiter got up and held out his hand to help Sydney up. "Are you okay, Miss Collins."

"Call me Sydney, Detective. And I'm fine, if that's the worst fall I ever take then I'm in good shape. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little frustrated, should have paid more attention."

"Shawn broke your suspect?"

"How did you know?"

"You gave off that vibe. Hours of work and he does it in minutes? I'd be pissed too."

"All that from my face?"

She shrugged. "That and Shawn gives off the vibe of being good with people.

"What are you psychic too?"

Sydney looked to her but Juliet could do nothing but shrug. This was her call.

"I've always had this knack for seeing things others couldn't, wasn't sure what to call it. Then I read the letter from my mom, googled Shawn, and found out what he did. Made sense, a sixth sense."

Juliet smiled at the diplomatic answer that neither confirmed or denied it.

Carlton nodded. "So you're from DC?"

"Well, Vienna. It's not even a half hour out."

"Grew up in all the politics I guess."

"Mom worked in a military hospital, trust me I know a few things. Plus, I was the head of my high school's Future Democrats club."

Juliet watched as Carlton's face lit up, it wasn't often he got to talk to someone that paid as much to politics as he did. Plus a taste of DC was something he loved, hence he almost fell apart every time a federal agent walked through the door.

She couldn't help but wonder if this kid could win even him over.

Lassiter headed over to his desk and Sydney went over a knowing grin on her face. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead and what?"

"Ask the question everyone this side of the Mississippi seems to ask."

"Did you ever meet the president?"

"Which one?"

Lassiter's jaw dropped. "You've meant several?"

"Bartlett, Santos, and Lyman."

"Three?" Jules felt her jaw drop.

In the corner, the radio crackled. "Officer reporting a 187 and a 211 at the Pick-Me-Up on Jefferson and Main. Requesting backup."

Lassiter rushed over and picked up the transmitter. "This is Detective Lassiter, on route ETA 10 minutes. Requesting a 11-44 to meet me there."

"10-4 Detective."

"Ohara, get Spencer and Guster and meet me there." Lassiter grabbed his suit jacket and Juliet watched him pause. "Junior psychic, in the mood for an initiation?"

"Sure thing." She took off after him. At first Juliet was worried but when they reappeared by the front door, both were already talking a mile a minute about who knew what and Jules had a feeling they would be okay.

Heading downstairs, she met Shawn and Gus on the stairs. "Guys, there's a robbery homicide and Carlton wants you guys to come."

"Where's Sydney?" Shawn looked around.

"She went with Carlton."

They headed out of the station and she heard Shawn chuckle. "She's even got Lassie wrapped around her finger."

Lights flashing and siren blaring, Lassiter made his way to the Pick-Me-Up and all the while, Sydney and him were talking about the Civil War. She'd visited places that were on his bucket list and he was a little jealous but glad he could hold a conversation about that time period with someone who got it.

"The Pick-Me-Up, never heard of that. Is it a West Coast chain or a Mom and Pop place?" Sydney changed the subject.

"Mom and Pop, it's been in the same family for about 50 years, I think."

"History of crime in that area?"

"Not more than usual. That's one of the better areas of town." Lassiter was almost impressed with the questions she was asking, made him think she may have done this before. "It's a popular cop shop. They give us a discount."

"Good to know, could this be our guys hitting it because they know the SBPD frequents there?"

"Possibility. But two murders in the space of hours? That's not much of a cool down."

"There are four suspects, it could be a different one. You think it was Allison Crowley who committed the earlier murder. Both Drimmer and Wignall have spilled blood so they could have done it. According to the file, Wignall was a strangler and Drimmer used a gun."

"You seem like you know you're way around a murder investigation."

"I watch a lot of crime dramas and read a lot. But they don't get it exactly right."

"They don't." Lassiter turned to go down Main.

"Detective, watch out!" Sydney cried out.

Lassiter turned just in time to see a car crash into the back of his car before the air bag ejected and everything went black.

 **AN: See you next time!**


	4. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Psychic Scorned

**Author's Note: Thanks again phnxgrl for your review! I really appreciate the feedback. You guys are getting this chapter early today because I've got to hit the road for a meeting in a bit and I'm not sure how late it will be when I get home.**

 **So here it is! I'm sorry it's shorter than the others but this chapter didn't want to be long.**

The feeling in the pit of Shawn's stomach that had started when Jules mentioned that Sydney went with Lassie continued to grow as they made their way towards the Pick-Me-Up. He alternated between tapping his legs, tapping his feet, and tapping the door as Jules sped down the road.

They were almost there when the radio crackled. "We have a 487 and a 207 on the corner of 6th and Main. Third vehicle involved, all passengers gone, possible officer missing."

"This is Detective Ohara, ETA is one minute." She put the transmitter down. "Think it's Carlton?"

"My gut says it is." The feeling was almost overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

"Your gut?"

"I've had a bad feeling since right before we left the station, just wasn't sure what was causing it." Shawn say the accident scene ahead and darted out of the car before Jules had it in park.

Why was he always right?

It was a blessing and a curse, that was for sure. Being right all the time had kept him in business all these years but right now, he'd give anything to be wrong.

Taking off for the car, he ducked under the tape and saw that Sydney's bag was sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. He dug in the bag but stopped when he spotted her phone on the floor. It lit up, a new text coming from someone named Alex.

 **I thought you were taking a break from that kind of thing?**

What kind of thing?

Shawn left the phone and bag sitting on the passenger side and leaned over to see Lassie's phone on the floorboard as well.

Someone didn't want them tracked.

Someone underestimated him.

"Shawn."

He looked up to see Gus staring at something on the side of the car.

Circling it, he saw what had Gus looking so nervous.

On the side of the car was the Yin/Yang symbol.

No.

Not them.

Not now.

Not her.

The feeling evaporate and was replaced by a burning anger that was reserved for Yin. Sure, he'd made his peace- if he could call it that- with Yang, but Yin. Yin represented a lot of memories he'd rather forget. Not that his mind would let him.

Beside him, he heard Jules gasp as she saw the symbol on Lassiter's car. A small part of him realized the fit Lassiter would have when he saw that, but they would have to get him back for that to happen. Reaching his arm out, he pulled Jules close, not caring who saw. Allison Cowley had hurt his girl once before and he was not about to let it happen again.

They made the wrong move when they took Sydney because Hell hath no fury like a Psychic scorned.

As the blackness seemed to fade, Lassiter felt a pain around his nose and figured the air bag might have broken it. He shifted positions and was surprised to find himself on a bed. A headache burned and he struggled to fully come out of the fog.

"What in the…"

He shook his head and opened his eyes to find himself in a small room. A quick look around showed that there was only one door and the window was too high and too small for escape.

Well, there went the options portion of this.

Sydney lay on the cot opposite him, the early signs of a black eye already forming. There were a couple of scratches on her face but otherwise, she looked okay.

He tried the door but as he suspected, it was locked. The small window didn't provide much of a view except to show him part of a hallway.

With them being knocked out, he didn't even have a good guess as to where they were. They could still be in Santa Barbara or they could be hours away. He wasn't sure how long they'd been gone and their kidnappers had taken his watch.

A groan behind him caught his attention and he turned to see Sydney stirring. "I feel like I was hit by a bus."

"I think it was a van."

"It's more than that, I've been in accidents before. Did they drug us? Where are we?"

Lassiter sat down on his cot. "I have no idea. Looks like some sort of basement."

She sat up, wincing as she did. "What happened?"

Before Lassiter could answer, the door opened and Charles Wignall walked in. "Detective, it's been awhile."

"You realize you're digging your hole deeper by kidnapping a police officer."

"You had me locked away for murder. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He looked around. "Looks like you might not be either. At least you have company. Who's your friend? She seems a little young."

"Getting extra credit in my Criminal Justice 110 class." Sydney waved from where she sat.

"Bad day for extra credit."

Sydney looked around. "Seems like it."

"I didn't get a name."

"I didn't give it."

Wignall looked at Lassiter. "She's got more spunk that that obnoxious psychic. Better get comfortable detective, you're going to be here awhile until we figure out what to do with you and the meddling kid."

"Really, a Scooby Doo reference?"

The door shut leaving the pair alone. Lassiter turned to Sydney. "What is with you, kid?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know things you shouldn't, act like you're more comfortable in a hostage situation, crime scene, or a station, then I've seen some seasoned cops act, and you just lied like a pro."

Sydney looked away. "Those are my secrets to keep."

"What could explain that?"

"A lot could, Detective, but I left that behind me in DC and at least for a bit, I'd like it to stay there." Once again, she sounded older than her age suggested.

"Fair enough. But what can you tell me?"

"What do you want to know?"

"How did Spencer never find out about you?" It honest was something that had been bugging him since he watched Spencer find out yesterday. How could someone go 18 years without knowing they were a father?

Sydney leaned against the wall and faced him. "Well, he stole the car in March and when my mom discovered she was pregnant with me, her parents moved to the East Coast to live with family. Then I was born and by then it was something they were used to not talking about and for my grandparents, it's a touchy subject. For Mom it was a bit too."

"How come?"

"I don't think she ever stopped loving him. I think she wanted to tell him, well, I know she did but he left Santa Barbara right before I was born and it took Mom ten years to track him down back there and by then, she was used to him not knowing and I was used to him not being there."

"You had no idea til the letter?"

"I kinda knew who Shawn was. I saw a news story a few months back that featured him and some case involving you guys arresting the leader of a national drug syndicate. It was like two in the morning East Coast time and I couldn't sleep so I was surfing the channels. I ran across the story and it seemed interesting, a psychic detective, you know?"

Lassiter let out a grunt. "You haven't worked with him for 9 years."

"Fair enough." Sydney let out a sigh.

Before Lassiter could answer, both heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Sounds like the fun part is about to begin again."

The door opened before Lassiter could reply and Drimmer stepped in. "Long time no see, Detective."

"Drimmer."

He went over to Sydney's cot and yanked her up. "You first."

"Let go, didn't your mother tell you it's not nice to grab a lady?" Sydney fought back and almost managed to break away when Drimmer sent his fist into the side of her head and she landed flat on the ground.

 **AN2: That's it for today! See you next time!**


	5. There's Some Explaining To Do

**Author's Note: Back to a good length. Some chapters lend themselves to it better than others. Glad to see y'all are still enjoying the story! I feel like this is where I really started to change some things from the original and I'm interested in getting your reactions/feedback. Whether you read the original story or this is your first time with Sydney, let me know what you think! With that, enjoy!**

Shawn exited the Pick Me Up a few hours later still no closer to finding Sydney. What was worse was that they knew who murdered the elderly owner of the coffeeshop but finding them meant finding Sydney. Security footage showed it was Drimmer while Crowly emptied the register and Crimmons grabbed food from the back.

Why that particular place? Shawn assumed because it was a preferred hangout of on and off duty cops. Shoot, Drimmer had been there several times. Going there would almost guarantee that a certain head detective, as well as a head psychic, would be the ones to check out the crime scene.

Jules was waiting by her car and looked up as Shawn approached. "We'll find them."

Shawn ran his hands through his hair. "I just feel like I dropped the ball. She hasn't even been here for a day…"

"This isn't your fault."

They climbed into the car where Gus waited. Shawn had to give him credit for making it a good bit, but finally the blood got to him. The ride back to the station was made in silence, for once Shawn was happy to lose himself in his thoughts.

The cases were tied together somehow but something about the hit and run felt off. How would they have known that Lassie would be driving through that intersection at that particular moment.

They couldn't have, could they?

It was a quiet group that arrived back into the SBPD. And in a rush, Shawn went inside and began to to pace in front of Jules' desk, feeling helpless, annoyed, and frustrated. How could he have let this happen? He shouldn't have let her out of his sight.

How was he supposed to know? He should have. Were they ok? Were they hurt? Where were they?

Plenty of questions, but no answers. Around him, officers were buzzing around and he could see Chief Vick in her officer preparing a briefing a man in a Washington Black suit was in there and it seemed as if their discussion was heated.

Oh, Lassie was going to be so mad when he was found and discovers that a fed was in the station and he wasn't here.

But before he could enjoy that, he knew this briefing would bring more questions. They didn't have a photo. Shawn patted his pocket, feeling his wallet that held a strand of photo booth photos from yesterday. He should give it up; let them have a look since it would help them to know who they were looking for.

Chief Vick came out of her office, the mystery fed behind her, and got everyone's attention. He felt someone squeeze his hand and turned to see Jules come beside him. "Earlier this afternoon, Head Detective Carlton Lassiter was abducted by, we believe to be, our escaped captives. With him, was Sydney Collins, 18 years old, just arrived in town yesterday. Family has not been contacted, since we don't know who to contact. We are looking into it."

Shawn felt backed into a corner did he say something? Did he want to take the chance that some friends or even Becca's parents would come? These were his friends, his co-workers he wanted to be the one to tell them. "Actually, chief?"

"Yes, Mr. Spencer."

"Her mother passed away and her father has been notified."

"How did you find the father?" Every so often, he managed to surprise her. Usually he loved it when it happened. Today it didn't carry its usual thrill.

"Trust me, when I say it wasn't that hard." Shawn looked to Gus, who had a concerned look on his face.

"Are you sure?"

"They're going to find out soon enough, it might as well be me who tells them."

Gus nodded, and held out a fist. "You've got this."

Shawn bumped fists and felt Juliet squeeze his hand.

"Care to elaborate, Mr. Spencer?" Chief Vick's eyebrow was doing it's questioning raise.

Shawn sighed as he released Jules' hand, pulling out his wallet and grabbing the strand of photo booth photos. "Sydney Collins has her mother's hair minus a strand of hot pink on the left side. She did it because she's always wanted to, but knew her mother would never approve. When her mother passed away a few months ago, she decided why not."

He made his way through the group to the front. "She has her father's eyes though, and his smile. Though her father didn't know this until yesterday when she arrived."

"Wait, you're saying her father is in Santa Barbara?"

"Yes." Shawn unfolded the strip, not showing the crowd the photo quite yet.

"Well then, where is her father?"

Shawn turned and looked Chief Vick in the eye. "Right here."

"I beg your pardon?"

He took a deep breath and sighed. "When you meet Sydney, the first thing you notice may be her eyes, or the way they light up when she smiles. You see the grief, never too far away, but they still light up."

"What does this have to do with her father?"

Shawn handed the strip to the chief. She looked at it, and Shawn knew it was the first picture she'd seen of Sydney and that she hadn't gotten a good look at her yesterday when she was in the station. Her eyes grew wide, and she looked up at Shawn.

"She's, you…"

Shawn nodded and turned to the group. "Sydney Collins is my daughter."

He ignored the surprised gasps, focusing on Jules and Gus. "She was with Lassie because I was interrogating a suspect. I know what you're thinking; it's the same thing I've been thinking since yesterday. Me? A father? Some of you are thinking man Shawn you screwed up. Right now, I'm focused on getting her back. I lost 18 years, I don't want to lose another day."

"Alright, we have a picture of Sydney. I will pass it around, take a look." Chief Vick cleared her throat.

"Be careful with it, it's our first picture together and I kinda want it back in one piece." Shawn got snickers for that as the picture went around the group. "By the way, Chief, who's the fed?"

"How did you know I was a fed?" The fed smiled.

"Psychic, besides, you can usually see your type a mile away."

"Agent Alex Taylor, CIA. I worked the Crimmons case with my former partner."

"Former?"

"She retired a few months ago. When I heard he escaped I flew out here to offer my assistance and expertise."

Before Shawn could respond, Chief Vick caught his attention. "Mr. Spencer, can I see you in my office for a moment?"

Shawn sighed and nodded, getting one last reassuring glance from Jules and Gus before heading into the office.

"Alright, we have a pic of the white van and the truck from the nearby traffic cam. The plates are being run as we speak. In the meantime, we still have the homicide from the coffee shop and convicts to recapture. Let's get to work!"

Shawn took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and heard her come in and shut the door. "You just found out?"

"Yesterday, between the fights and the briefing."

"Are you sure?" She made her way behind the desk and took a seat.

"I'm sure. Lassie had Woody run a paternity test. We should have the results next week. But she's…"

"She's like you?"

"You're asking me if…"

"I'm asking you if she's psychic." She leaned forward and looked him right in the eyes.

"Can't say for sure, but it looks that way." He sighed leaned back in the chair. "Can I be honest?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"She's so much like me, it scares me. Yet at the same time, I can't help but be proud."

Chief Vick smiled as she leaned back. "So I'm going to have a junior psychic running around my station?"

"If she wants to." Shawn couldn't help but smile.

"She's too young to have already lost her mother." The chief murmured.

"She really is."

"Let me know if you divine any leads. We both would like this wrapped up as soon as possible."

"You know that's right Chief." Shawn stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Shawn?"

"Yeah Chief?"

"I've seen you figure out unsolvable cases. You'll figure out this whole father thing."

"Shawn!" Shawn turned and winced as he heard his father.

"Who let Henry in here?" The chief groaned.

"I've been asking that for years." That earned a chuckle.

"Shawn!"

"Let me calm him down before he demolishes your station."

She waved him off and he went out to find his father pacing outside the office. "What was she doing going on a call? She's only been here all of one day."

"Lassie took her with him, its sounding like she's winning everyone over."

"Where were you?"

Shawn pointed to the stairs. "Interrogating a suspect. You know, actually doing my job for once."

His Dad sighed and took a seat by Jules desk. "Any leads?"

"Nothing yet. We've even got the federal agent who worked the other case here to help." Shawn nodded to where Alex had set up shop at Lassie's desk.

"There has to be something, family, next of kin."

"I'm getting their files pulled now." Jules walked over.

"Bring the files and meet us back at the Psych office. If the chief asks, tell her the tenseness of the room is sending out bad ju-ju-bees." The excuse would work for the chief. In reality, Shawn wanted nothing more than to get some fresh air and to think. With a fed around, he really couldn't do his thing here.

Juliet held in the laugh. "I should be there in a few minutes.

"Come on Magic Head, Papa Monkey. We've got dinner to grab and a case to solve."

"Pick up something for me." Jules called after him.

"But of course." Shawn walked out of the SBPD and saw that the sun was starting to set. Hopefully, wherever Sydney was, she was safe.

Lassiter eyed Lily Jenkins, who was looking down at him. He struggled against the ropes that tied him to the chair, but hadn't found a weak spot yet. "Still trying that Lassiter?"

He could feel Sydney tied behind him. They had been brought into this room, one twice the size of the one they had woken up. The last hour or so, Lassiter was trusting his gut to tell time since he had no way to know for sure, was spent being interrogated by people who had no business being on this side of a prison cell.

"Who's your friend Detective?"

"Who wants to know?" The smug tone Sydney had been using for the last hour was still going strong. If Lassiter didn't know any better, he would almost think she felt comfortable in this situation, like it wasn't her first time. But she hadn't been involved with the law, a search he did last night - and would never admit to in front of Spencer that he had checked up on her for him - proved that she was clean.

Almost too clean, but he wondered if that was his bias against/for Spencer talking.

"This wants to know."

To his surprise, he didn't feel Sydney didn't flinch. "We both know you won't use that. You didn't shoot those other guys, you had to get Daddy to come and do the job for you."

He comment confirmed his suspicion that Lilly was armed, but he still felt his jaw drop, how did she know about that? Jenkins did a double take. "How did you know that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He could practically see a smirk that would look like her father's.

Lassiter heard the sound of Jenkins slamming the gun into the side of Sydney's head and sent her flying forward before being yanked back by the rope. "I would like to know."

Jenkins started to cross the room to him, passing directly in front of Sydney. Before Lassiter could say anything, she was flat on the floor and Sydney had a smug look on her face.

Jenkins turned back to Sydney. "You little brat."

"I don't know what you're talking about, looks to me like you tripped."

A minute later, the door slammed leaving the two of them alone. Sydney started to fidget behind him. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine. They are pissed at you, not me."

"Well, that feeling's mutual." Lassiter let out a sigh.

The door opened and, for the first time since this whole ordeal had started, he felt Sydney tense up. "What are you doing here?"

"It's been a long time, mia allievo." A male voice with a rich Italian accent that almost seemed to have a laugh at it. "What has it been, over a year? Imagine my surprise when you were with this detective in California of all places. I merely broke out to prove that I could, didn't expect to run into you again so soon."

"I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else."

To his surprise, Lassiter heard fear in the girl's voice. Maybe it took her an hour to remember how a normal person should act. Then again, with who her father was, why was Lassiter surprised that she wasn't the average person.

"Oh? Your new friend doesn't know your secret?" The man circled around allow Lassiter his first look. Probably around his height, Lassiter recognized him from the footage he'd seen yesterday.

"Segio Crimmons."

"At your service." The man took a mock bow. "I've heard a lot about you, Detective."

"I've read a lot about you."

"This was supposed to be a quick stop. But now…"

The sound of a slap echoed the room and Lassiter felt his chair jerk to the side along with Sydney's.

"Is that the best you can do." Sydney's tone was forced.

"For now." Footsteps echoed the room. "But, when they decide what to do with your detective friend I'm going to finish what we started."

"I want to see you try, il mio insegnante."

To Lassiter's surprise, Sydney had switched into an accent that matched Sergio's perfectly.

"Oh, and Sergio, you might want to tell your friends to tie a better not."

The ropes fell and Lassiter jumped up just in time to see Sydney slam the chair into Sergio before throwing a roundhouse kick at him.

The man fell to the ground and Sydney took a few steps back.

"I see you haven't lost your touch." The man came to his knees.

"I see you have."

Sergio got up and the two circled each other. "I heard about your mother, tragic accident."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother."

Lassiter wished he had a gun but was tired of sitting on the sidelines. "Stand down, Sergio."

The man charged him and Lassiter barely dodge a punch that would have added to his black eye. Lassiter swung and hit the man in the gut sending him back a few steps.

Before Lassiter could react, the second chair slammed down on him and the man went down. Lassiter watched as Sydney knelt down and drew the gun that was hiding on the man's ankle. "Old habits die hard, il mio insegnante or should I say mia allievo."

"Sydney, give me the gun." Lassiter held out his hand. Sydney looked up at him and Lassiter took a step back as the weight of her glare rested on him.

She turned back to Sergio who had yet to get up, and turned him over with her foot.

"Sydney."

He walked up to her, practically feeling the tension rolling off of her as she checked the man for more weapons and before handing over the gun and finally speaking in her normal accent. "Take it."

Lassiter took the gun and moved towards the door. "Kid, you've got some explaining to do."

"Can we get out of here first?"

 **AN: mia allievo- my pupil (Italian)**

 **il mio insegnante - my teacher (Italian)**

 **See you next time!**


	6. Cold War Spy Stuff

**AN: I forgot to thank my reviewers last time! Sorry guys! But thanks to phnxgrl and TheShulesLovinPsycho for their reviews!**

 **Hopefully, I will have the next chapter up Monday like usual, but I'm going to warn you now there is a chance I might be a couple of days late. You are officially caught up to what I've written so far and I have a work event this weekend. I'm sitting down after I post this to see if I can knock out most of the chapter and have it ready for Monday so fingers crossed.**

 **If not, at least I'm leaving you with a nice long chapter to hold you over.**

 **With that, here we go!**

His father insisted upon stopping by the house before they made it to the Psych Office but now Shawn sat with a photo album at his desk while the others munched on takeout while reading files. The phono album looked simple enough but his father had mentioned that he'd looked at it this morning with Sydney and it would let Shawn get inside her head.

Maybe if he could do that he could find her.

Maybe.

Looking down, he smiled at the photos that showed him the life of the girl who was quickly turning his world upside down. There were pictures of her the day she was born with Becca who looked just the way Shawn remembered her. Becca's face glowed in happiness as she held the young bundle.

The next page showed I'm a pink frilly nursery that explained the pink stripe in her hair and had Becca's name all over it. Her first birthday cake was a Teddy Bear and Shawn laughed as the next picture showed Sydney covered in it.

From there it went through her childhood and Shawn quickly flipped through them. Karate matches, school pictures, Christmas, birthdays, Halloweens (she was Sherlock Holmes when she was eight).

All the moments Shawn had mentioned missing were catalogued here and gave him a glimpse into the life this girl had lived before something, well someone, took her mother away.

Leaving the album on his desk, he went and plopped into a chair in front of the TV, mindlessly flipping the channel before leaving it on Hallmark since nothing else was on.

Somewhere between where everything fell apart and it came back together, Shawn must have dozed off because he found himself in the bullpen of the SBPD. But something felt a little off, and when his eyes settled on a young Officer Carlton Lassiter rocking that mustache (what had he been thinking) he figured out that this was one of those dreams.

"Just what I needed." Knowing what was going on, he wandered downstairs and opened a door and found himself looking at, well himself. A young him and a young Becca sat back to back in the small cell, the anger rolling off of both of them.

"I can't believe this!" His younger self slammed his fist on the bars.

"That makes two of us."

Shawn watched the couple play the silent game and wondered if this is what Scrooge felt like in A Christmas Carol. While he watched the couple he couldn't help but wonder if he'd known then what he knew now…

Not like it would have made a difference.

Would it?

He'd like to think that his younger self would have done the right thing, but it was a long road from the man sitting in that cell to the man having this dream.

"I'm guessing you think this is my fault." Younger Shawn turned to Becca.

"Of course it's your fault! You took the dare!"

"You let me!"

"Wrong thing to say kid." Shawn leaned against the wall as the younger Lassie came into the room.

"Miss Collins, your parents are here."

"I'm so dead." She got up and waited as Lassie unlocked the door and lead her out, leaving Shawn's younger self in there alone.

"Becca." He came up to the bars.

"Don't you dare Becca me. I never want to speak to you again, Shawn Spencer."

As Lassie led her out, Shawn let out a sigh. In so many ways, this one night would help him become the man he was today.

"You know, I didn't mean it."

Shawn turned to see an older Becca, the one he'd seen in the later photos, stand in the now open door. "Well, I might have a little but hey we were young and stupid back then."

She waved Shawn through the door but instead of going back into the hallway, he found himself in the Psych office, though this one was missing the Christmas decorations. She took a seat on the couch and Shawn grabbed a chair and sat across from her.

"You had every right to say that."

"Is it me, or has Shawn Spencer matured over the years?"

"Don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my reputation."

Becca laughed and looked around the room. "Has anyone told you this looks like the inside of a guy's dorm?"

"I've gotten that before."

Becca's smile turned sad. "I was so angry that night. We both were and I wanted to leave that cell and pretend it never happened. But then…. But then she was born and she had your eyes-"

"And my fantastic smile."

"Can I take back that mature statement? I see your ego hasn't deflated."

Shawn shrugged. "Did you expect anything less?"

She nodded to the Psych sign in the window. "I didn't expect that."

"To be honest, neither did I. It just kinda happened. Long story, though it does seem like we both have them."

"We do."

Shawn leaned forward. "Is she hiding something?"

"You tell me, Psychic."

He turned to see the album still on his desk. "It looks like you did a fantastic job raising her. Those years, the ones I wasn't there for, it looks like she was happy."

Shawn got up and started to pace the room. "And now she's here and within 24 hours I manage to let her get kidnapped. Talk about Father of the Year material."

Footsteps behind him and then a hand on his shoulder confirmed that Becca was now behind him. "I wouldn't have pointed her way if I didn't think it was best for her. You'll figure this out, you always do."

"But I lost her."

That sad smile returned. "She's your daughter, Shawn. She's smart, resourceful, and has guts to spare. You'll both get through this and figure things out."

"I'm glad one of us is sure."

"Shawn?" Jules' voice rang out.

"I guess that's my cue to wake up." Shawn turned to Becca. "Thanks for raising our girl."

"Take care of her for me, Shawn."

"Shawn?" Gus' voice called out.

"I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Me too."

With that, Shawn sat up, shaking his head a bit as he returned to the land of the living. "What I miss?"

He eyed the album that still sat open on the desk. It showed a fairly recent picture of Sydney and Becca on the beach. "We've got work to do."

The door was unlocked and Lassiter followed Sydney out, part of him wondering why he let the young girl without a gun take the lead. But she stayed low, against the wall and her look almost dared Lassiter to challenge her.

And for some reason, he was almost scared to.

So far, Crimmons hadn't moved from where he lay which didn't surprise Lassiter after what he'd been through. No one else had come downstairs. But footsteps above them let Lassiter know that they weren't alone in the cabin.

"Sydney, this might be a good time to have a plan."

"There are five of them, right? We've got Crimmons out of commission, and there are three sets of footsteps upstairs. We have one gun, hopefully your aim is as good as the internet says since you insist on having the gun, and with any luck I'll find a weapon of some sort."

"How do you know there are three upstairs?"

"I've been listening. I think it's one female and two male." Sydney went part of the way up the stairs, tilting her head.

"I'm not hearing a plan." Lassiter watched as this girl started to remind him of her father, inching up the stairs, closer to the action, closer to the danger, but she seemed to enjoy it.

But in a different way than Spencer did. A mix between the weight of the world being on her shoulders and being completely at home.

"On my signal." Her statement was quiet enough that Lassiter almost didn't catch it. With that, she went up to the top of the stairs and slammed the door wide open with a crash. "You know, I don't know how y'all do it here in California, but back home my momma taught me that we treat our guests nice. What were y'all raised in a bar or something?"

She made her way out of Lassiter's sight and he followed her gun up as he entered a main room where Jenkins, Drimmer, and Wignall all sat in various stages of shock.

"What the?"

"Where's Crimmons?"

"How did they get out?"

"Freeze!" Lassiter noticed Drimmer pulling out a gun. "Drop it."

Scanning the room, he noticed Sydney in the kitchen digging around in the drawers. He moved carefully so that he could see the door, see her, and see the three convicts all at the same time. "Drop the weapon, Drimmer."

"Has anyone ever told you that you should like a broken record? Now, who is your friend?"

"Who me?"

Lassiter heard the sound of the fridge opening and out of the corner of his eye he could see.

"Don't mind me. Oh… that looks good."

"Seriously?"

She shrugged. "I was kidnapped, drugged, smacked around, and interrogated. I've earned a snack."

If he wasn't so concerned with the three convicts in front of him he would have turned and gaped at the girl. When would she act like a normal human being?

He had a sinking suspicion that she never would.

"Besides, why does it matter who I am? We all know that this was just a coincidence and not your plan. But someone, I'm assuming Wignall cause he's sloppy enough to come up with this from what I read, saw us and took advantage of the opportunity. What I want to know,"

A click sounded and Lassiter noticed that Sydney now had a gun and a very hard look on her face. "Is what a bunch of petty crooks like you are doing with a man like Crimmons. He's wanted in about 6 different countries for a list of things that is as long as I am tall. I'm still trying to figure out how he finally got nailed."

"I let my guard down." Crimmons stood at the top of the stairs, hand on the back of his head. "Much like I did with you, mia allievo."

"Don't you get it." Sydney's accent shifted again. "I was never your mia allievo. I used you to keep him safe. Then I caught up to you again and put you where you belong."

Crimmons charged Sydney and a shot sounded. Blood started to stain his shirt around his shoulder but Crimmons still charged her.

Sydney took a step back and came out of the kitchen holding both the gun and one of the biggest kitchen knives Lassiter had ever seen. In a movement that Lassiter guessed had come from practice, she shoved the gun in the waist band of her jeans and met Crimmons who had what had been a chair leg from downstairs.

Everyone else in the room, Lassiter included, seemed to forget their differences as they watched the two fight with their makeshift weapons. Both seemed to have something to prove as they came, tried to hit each other, and danced around each other and the room. To his surprise, Sydney seemed comfortable and in control.

Crimmons took a low swipe and Sydney let out a small cry and Lassiter saw blood already dripping off a few inch wound. But she didn't stop fighting and instead pushed Crimmons closer and closer to the wall until she slammed her knife into his arm and Lassiter heard it go into the wall.

"And stay there." She grabbed the gun and held it up. "Anyone else?"

Drimmer alternated between pointing the gun at her and pointing it at Lassiter. Jenkins and Wignall seemed frozen in place until they tried to dart. Two shots stopped them in their tracks, one from his gun and one from hers. Neither were lethal but with them being the softest of the group, it was enough to stop them.

"Had enough?" Lassiter pointed his gun at Drimmer.

Drimmer let off a shot and Lassiter ducked and heard him head for the door. More shots went off and Drimmer ran out of the house.

Lassiter looked around to see Sydney doubled over. "That's going to leave a mark."

He looked to see a hole in the top of her shoe. "You got shot?"

"I shot him, too." Her face was full of pain. "Oh that smarts. Can you shove our friends downstairs and then find me a sewing kit and some pain killers?"

For some reason, Lassiter found himself following her orders. He grabbed Wignall and took him downstairs, putting him in one of the rooms. He did the same to Jenkins before turning to Crimmons. This one was going to be tricky because of the knife. Finally, he grabbed the handle and yanked it out, ignoring the scream of pain from the man. He took him downstairs, tossed him a dishtowel, and came back up to find the door locked from the upstairs.

Well, that was handy.

Turning, he found Sydney on the floor, a dishcloth on her leg that was soaked in blood. Spencer was going to kill him for letting her get shot. Not that it was his fault, but she was taking it rather well.

"You okay?"

"Been better. Hurry up with that first aid kit and the sewing kit or floss or something like that."

"What? Are you going to sew up the wound yourself?"

She shrugged.

"That's…"

"Cold War spy stuff?" She shrugged again. "Like I said, I have my secrets."

"What has Spencer gotten himself into?"

She smiled at that. "He has no idea and I plan on keeping it that way for a bit."

Lassiter wandered around the house, gathering supplies before coming back down to check on Sydney. She tore apart the first aid kit and started to clean out the wound in her leg. "Can you work on my foot? I'm not sure that shoe is going to be able to come off."

"Why don't you wait and let professionals do that?"

"How are they going to find us?" Sydney looked around. "I'm fairly certain we are in the middle of nowhere since they aren't already coming in here guns blazing after all those shots were fired."

As much as he didn't want to, Lassiter had to admit that she had a point. He hadn't heard so much as a siren and had anyone heard those shots, there would be someone on their way to check out the scene. "So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest you use the phone in the cabinet. Nice hiding place for it, I'll give them that." She continued to stitch the wound.

"After I check out your foot." Lassiter sat down beside her and looked at the already bloody shoe. Carefully, he pried it off revealing a red sock. Grabbing a pair of scissors out of the first aid kit, he carefully cut off her sock so that he could finally get a look at the wound. "At least it looks like it went clear through."

He received a grunt in response and he looked up to see her holding out the rubbing alcohol. Taking it, he poured a little over her foot, using a washcloth, to try and clean it up. She let out a cry of pain and he hesitated.

"No, keep going. Just in case this needs to be cleaned." She cut the thread and sat the needle to the side. "But wow, that smarts."

He cleaned and wrapped the wound in gauze before wrapping it in an ACE bandage before settling Sydney on the couch and propping her bad leg up on a pillow. "Sit tight."

"Not like I'm going anywhere."

Shaking his head, Lassiter wandered into the kitchen and sure enough found a phone in the cabinet. Who kept a landline anymore?

Grabbing the cordless phone off the charger, Lassiter dialed the familiar number, letting out the breath he didn't realized he'd been holding when someone picked up. "Santa Barbara Police Department."

"This is Detective Carlton Lassiter, transfer me to the Chief."

A slight pause gave away the receptionist's surprise. "Right away, Detective."

The wait music played for only a second before the Chief's panicked voice came on. "Lassiter? Hold on, let me get someone to trace this call."

He heard her order around a few officers before turning her attention back to them. "Are you and Miss Collins okay?"

"I'm okay, Miss Collins seems to be a worse trouble magnet than her father though. She's been stabbed and shot." Lassiter came into the living room and sat on a chair across from the couch.

"What happened?"

"Not sure." Lassiter hated not knowing. "We were driving to respond to the cal; ahead of Ohara, Spencer, and Guster when we had someone slam into the side of my car. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the cabin."

"Cabin?"

"Three stories including a basement, probably been here a few years. Old enough to have a landline, electricity, water are current. Oh and Crimmons, Wignall, and Jenkins are locked in the basement." He looked down at the phone and pushed the button to put it on speakerphone.

"Very nicely done. We've got a lock on your location. Have you talked to either Spencer yet?"

"I called you first."

"Well give them a call. Shawn is worried sick and Henry is on a warpath."

"This is Henry Spencer we're talking about." Lassiter leaned back in his chair. "I'm surprised he hasn't managed to mobilize the National Guard."

The Chief let out a chuckle. "Not from lack of effort I'm sure."

Sydney let out a snort at that comment. "There's a story there."

"There is, Miss Collins. I do apologize for the mess you've found yourself in. Help is on the way."

"Thanks, ma'am."

"Both Spencers are at the Psych office. Give them a call. I'll swing by to pick them up."

"Thanks, Chief." Both answered before Lassiter hung up.

"You didn't say a word about your suspicions." Sydney sat up a bit.

"No reason to yet."

Shawn was officially at his wits end and that was saying something. But he had been looking at these files, actually looking at them for once, for over an hour and while they had some leads that would have to wait for "normal business hours" to follow up on - thank you voicemails of Santa Barbara.

Waiting wasn't one of his strengths, a face his father had frequently reminded him of. And now, he found himself pacing around the office.

"You're going to wear yourself out if you keep doing that, Shawn." His father looked up from the notes he was taking.

"What else do you suggest I do? You've got your notes, Jules has got her report, and Gus has his video games."

"Would you stop that?" Gus looked up from his computer.

"If you would challenge me now and then then maybe I would!" The phone rang before Gus could respond and Shawn pushed the button for speaker. "Psych."

"Spencer?"

"Shawn?"

Shawn stopped cold when he heard Sydney's voice. "What happened to you, kid?"

"How do you know something happened to me?"

"Have you seen what I do for a living?" That earned him a chuckle and he could feel himself relax. "Are you okay?"

"I would like it noted that it isn't Lassiter's fault."

"What happened?" His dad walked over.

"Drimmer shot her in the foot after Crimmons stabbed her."

"He got a lucky swipe." He heard Sydney murmur.

"What?" His dad's tone was one that he hadn't heard in a while. "Why did you let her get shot?"

"What?" His dad's tone was one that he hadn't heard in a while. "Why did you let her get shot?"

"I said it wasn't his fault."

"Where are you?" Jules finally got through to the speaker. "You're okay, Carlton?"

"Besides being a bit beaten up by the accident, I'm fine. It's Spencer's kid who took the beating."

"I'm fine!"

"You're not!" Lassiter, Shawn, and his father all said at once.

A huff was their response.

"Anyways." Lassiter's voice held a hint of amusement. "I called the station and the chief traced the call. She said she was swinging by to grab you before coming."

The faint sound of sirens answered Shawn's mental question. "I hear them coming now. What about our friends?"

"Crimmons, Wignall, and Jenkins are taken care of. Drimmer is injured and Cowley is still running free as well."

"Gus!" Sydney called out.

"What's up?"

She listed off a bunch of words that Shawn didn't understand. "Which of these works best for pain?"

"You probably shouldn't take anything before the paramedics get there."

"Answer the question."

Giving the phone a look Shawn had seen plenty of times, Gus let out a sigh before answering. "But you really shouldn't take anything."

"I'll only take something in case of an emergency." He heard a grunt.

"Don't move."

"I wanted to get comfortable."

Shawn rolled his eyes at the exchange between his kid and his coworker. The sirens grew louder and he saw everyone grabbing things to be ready. "We'll be there soon, hold on."

"Hurry!"

Chief Vick walked in the door. "We've got a lock on their location, let's move."

 **AN2: Now've we got ourselves into a fun situation.**

 **See you next time!**


	7. Friend Or Foe?

**AN: A little late in the day, but I managed to get this up on Monday! :) Thanks to phnxgrl and TheShulesLovinPsycho for their reviews!**

 **To me, this is where it's going to get fun. Sydney herself is turning out the be the biggest difference in this version. But I'm loving the changes so far. Let me know what you think!**

 **Here we go!**

Lassiter was quickly realizing that they truly were in the middle of nowhere. It had been at least 20 minutes since he had called the station and so far he had yet to see or hear any sign of the rescue team. What was more, Sydney was calling out orders as she instructed him to build survival packs.

"They're going to get here."

"And if they don't and we have to run?"

He stopped putting a blanket into one of the bags to look at her. "Why are you so quick to go to the negative. That's my job."

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes and not for the first time since they had gotten into this mess, Lassiter couldn't help but wonder what this kid had gone through.

More than someone her age should have.

At times, she was that soft girl that seemed wide eyed and eager to please people. She'd come in yesterday asking questions about her father, little did Lassiter know that she was looking for Spenser, and seemed to soak up knowledge in a way he hadn't seen in a while.

Then she was sitting on the couch making Lassiter put together two emergency kits because she thought they were going to have to run. She thought they could run with her leg in it's current condition.

"When you're done with the blankets, go back to the bathroom and make sure you got all the first aid supplies. With my leg like this, we're going to need it. Oh, and check closets for canes or walking sticks. Those backpacks make it look lie whoever owns this are outdoorsy people so there's a chance."

He left her and went in search, checking the three bedrooms that made up the majority of the upstairs.. Sydney was right when there was a walking stick in one of the bedrooms. I had a hook on the inside of a closet door and when Lassiter brought it into the light he saw that it looked quite old.

Taking it downstairs, he saw that Sydney had moved so that she was facing the front of the cabin. The large bay window gave her a good view of the winding road. But when Lassiter had gone out onto the porch, he couldn't see much of anything.

He handed her the stick and she started to examine this. "Native American. Someone really does have a hobby."

"You can tell that by looking at it."

She held it up so he could see a carving in the side. The bird is popular with East Coast tribes. This cabin might belong to Allison Cowley's family."

"What?" Lassiter was not following her at all. He knelt down and started adding things to the bags.

"Cowley is an English surname. Chances are, her ancestors came over early on and met some Native Americans. The stick could have been made in trade…. Wow this is old."

Lassiter zipped the bags, hopping he had wasted his time putting these together. He went over to the door hoping to see some sign that the calvary was almost there, but instead he caught sight of a car a few hundred yards away. "Sydney, we might have company."

He heard a grunt and turned to see Sydney struggling to get up. "Friend or foe?"

"Not sure, to be honest." Turning towards Sydney, he rushed over to help her the rest of the way up. "Alright, let's hide in the treeline. If it's a friend, we can come out."

"If not, we can disappear."

Lassiter helped Sydney slip on a bag before grabbing the heavier one and adjusting the straps. They slowly made their way out of the cabin and towards the woods. He was surprised at how fast Sydney was moving and hoped that the stick was in fact helping.

It took a few minutes, the field the cabin sat on was easily the size of a football stadium, and had just made it into the woods when the car pulled up and Allison Cowley got out.

"You'd better hope they're still in there. I cannot believe you let a little girl shoot you."

"Like you would have done much better." Drimmer got out of the passenger seat, his arm in a sling.

Both made their way into the cabin and it didn't take long for both to start yelling and to rush out.

"Come on."

Lassiter turned to see Sydney a few feet away. Nodding, he got up and took the lead into the woods.

Why did it have to be the woods?

He'd always hated the woods but that hatred grew to a new level after the case where Spencer Jr had gotten himself shot and Lassiter had to go through the woods chasing after him with Spencer Sr.

And now he found himself leading Spencer's daughter through the woods to get away from two people who had no business being out of jail. He hoped someone was following up on that case but wondered if all the focus had shifted to finding them.

They slowly made their way through the woods, Lassiter trying to navigate them towards the road leading to the cabin. He realized he had no way of knowing for sure if he was succeeding and he could just be getting them more lost, but the alternative was letting them get recaptured and he wasn't about to let that happen.

"How are you doing, Sydney?"

"Been better, but I'm alright." Her answer came between heavy breaths. "Glad I packed those pain killers though. They'll take the edge off in a bit."

"You know, you aren't going to get out of explaining what happened back there to me for long."

A sigh met his statement. "I know, I was hoping to get away with it for a while longer though. I should have known I wouldn't make it long when I saw what Shawn does for a living."

"So what are you lying about?"

"I'm not lying." Her tone was defensive. "I'm just not telling the whole truth. I am Shawn's daughter and I did grow up on the East Coast and I have already graduated high school."

"But?"

"Why does everyone assume there are buts!"

He turned to see her pausing to take a sip of water. "Because in our line of business they seem to be common."

"And I thought I was cynical." She laughed, strapping the bottle back onto the pack. "Was hoping to work on it. The perk of a fresh start you know. Thought that by driving 2700 miles I would get away from it for a bit."

"Get away from what?"

"My past, my mother's death, the fact that it is my fault."

Lassiter stopped and turned to the girl who had tears brimming. "There's no way it was your fault."

"The thing you need to know about me, Detective, is that there will always be a lot about me you don't know. And because of that, you don't get just how wrong your statement is."

She pushed past him, taking the lead into the woods. For a second, Lassiter just stared at her retreating frame before taking off after her. He couldn't help but grow nervous as it became harder to see.

The sun was setting and Lassiter guessed they had maybe an hour tops before it became pitch black.

What had they gotten themselves into?

You would have thought they would have gotten a more off-road friendly car. After all, over the last nine years, they had gone off-road several times thanks to a variety of cases. And somehow, the Blueberry managed to survive all those cases.

That didn't stop her from bouncing her passengers around as they quickly made their way up a dirt road that drove alongside the Los Padres National Forest. The cabin Lassiter had sat on bordered the forest. According to the GPS coordinates the Chief had given them, they were about two minutes away.

Not that they could get lost considering they were in the middle of a huge convoy that was very bright to say the least.

Inside the Blueberry, the full car was very tense, and crowded for that matter. Shawn was in the backseat with Jules while Henry had taken the wheel from Gus. Ahead of them, Shawn could see the Chief's car but it was getting harder to see the two passengers, the mysterious Alex Taylor being the second.

Shawn wasn't sure what it was, but he thought there was something that the fed wasn't telling them. Plus, the way he had looked at Shawn when Shawn admitted to being Sydney's father. They had run into each other before Shawn left the station and it looked like Agent Taylor had wanted to say something and then changed his mind.

But he'd figure that out another day.

For now, he saw the cabin appear in the distance and saw the woods of the National Forest surrounded it almost giving it the feeling of being a cul-de-sac.

Lights were on on the first floor of the cabin and the front door was wide open. As Henry pulled the Blueberry to a stop, Shawn rushed out of the car and joined the group that was rushing into the cabin. The first floor was mostly made up of a great room and if Shawn hadn't been so worried he might have stopped to enjoy the floor to ceiling windows.

What really caught his attention though, was the washcloth that was stained red. A forensic technician was kneeling down to put it into an evidence bag.

"Shawn."

He turned to see the chief. "What's up chief?"

"It looks like they ran." She looked at the bag. "Dr. Strode has the DNA sample for the test Lassiter ordered, right?"

"Yeah, Lassiter insisted but doesn't want to admit he's doing it for my safety."

A sad smile crossed the chief's face. "He wouldn't admit that. But that test can also help us determine for sure that that is Sydney's blood."

A team of paramedics raced by them and into the basement. Shawn followed them and saw several storage rooms. The paramedics seemed to be occupying one and Shawn wondered who got hurt. Peeking in the window of the one next it, he saw Charles Wignall glaring back at him.

Turning the lock, he opened the door. "What did you do to Sydney and Lassiter?"

"Sydney?" Wignall looked confused for half a second before understanding dawned. "Oh, the girl! She never would give us her name. I swear she's more annoying that you, Mr. Spencer. Still carrying on that act?"

Shawn slammed him into a wall.

"Shawn!"

"Mr. Spencer."

Shawn turned slightly to see the Chief and Jules standing in the doorway, both of their faces conveying their shock.

Releasing Wignall, he walked to the doorway. "This time, you won't get out."

Out in the hallway, he saw a stretcher being wheeled out and saw Sergio Cimmons on it, the cloth covering his shoulder red with blood.

"What happened to him?"

"You all would not believe me if I told you." Wignall had his hands behind his back as Jules slapped a pair of cuffs on him. "It was truly incredible to watch though."

Jules handed him off to a waiting officer and Shawn saw Jenkins being led out too. "That's three down, two to go. There's no sign of Drimmer and Cowley though."

"According to Lassiter's information, Drimmer has been shot, there's an alert out to hospitals within 100 miles so if they try and go to one-"

Shawn cut the Chief off. "Let's all be real, they won't. No, they'll find another place to hide. After all, they found this place."

Wandering back upstairs, he went looking around, seeing if he could find something to help him. The kitchen was in disarray, dishes in the sink, cabinets left open, wrappers on the floor.

Wait a second…

He went upstairs and found a bathroom. Opening it, he found no signs of first aid supplies.

"I've got something!" He took the stairs two at a time. "I've got something!"

The Chief and Jules were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "What is it, Mr. Spencer?"

"I've got good news, bad news, and possibly worse news." The looks he was getting told him to hurry up. "Good news, Lassie and Sydney got away."

"Bad news?" Jules asked.

"Allison and Drimmer probably went after them."

"And the worse news?"

"With Sydney injured, I'm not sure how long they'll be able to stay hidden."

Lassiter hated the woods. The hard, dirty ground, the lack of order, the bugs, the odd noises which made a distinct lack of quiet, the smell of nature. He hated it all. Pulling the blanket closer, he was glad for it's comfort, not that he'd ever admit it, as he lay on one side of the campfire that was little more than embers at that point.

Across the fire, Sydney lay sound asleep. After he confronted her earlier, she didn't say much the rest of the night and left Lassiter wondering just what she was hiding.

But he'd learned one lesson so far from these woods, Sydney was not one to be pressed into admitting anything.

Turning over, he tried to go back to sleep, adjusting his backpack that was currently serving as his pillow. He had just settled down when screams from the other side of the forest quickly rose him out of sleep. Jumping up, he crossed over the fire and knelt down by the girl.

"Sydney." He gently shook her. "Sydney, it's just a dream!"

"No!" He scream broke his heart but he couldn't quite figure out why. "No! Not her!"

A sinking feeling in Lassiter's gut told him the her in question was Sydney's mother.

"Please no!"

"Sydney!" Lassiter shook her more forcefully. "I need you to wake up."

"No." That time it was more of a whimper. "No, don't leave me."

"Sydney"

She sat straight up with a gasp, looking around her surroundings before looking at Lassiter. She looked upset, guilty, and nervous. "I'm sorry."

"What's there to be sorry for? You had a bad dream."

To his surprise, Sydney gave him a hug and started to cry. "I know. I get them now and then ever since."

"It was about your mother."

She nodded. "I yelled out, didn't I?"

It was his turn to nod. "A bit. Think you can go back to sleep?"

She settled back down, pulling her blanket close. "Thanks Lassiter."

"For what?"

"Not pressing me tonight."

"I'll get some answers out of you eventually." He smiled as he made his way back to his blanket. "After all, I don't think I'm going to forget that fight anytime soon."

She didn't answer him and Lassiter turned to see that she was already asleep. Pulling his own blanket close, he closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Sydney."

 **AN: And there we are! Off we go on a woodland adventure! I have some fun things planned here. See you next time!**


	8. Bring Snacks

**AN: Sorry for missing an update! Things got a little crazy last week and I missed an update! But here is the next bit of Sydney! Thanks to phnxgrl for her review! Enjoy!**

Lassiter woke up and felt like he'd been hit by a bus. Wasn't that how Sydney had described it the day before? Sitting up, he stretched and tried to work some of the kinks out from spending the night on the ground. Oh what he would give for his bed at home, and for Marlowe.

Groaning, he got up and grabbed few pieces of jerky out of his bag, eating them before taking a sip of his water. Not enough to be full or to have his thirst fully quenched but enough to keep him satisfied.

And considering he didn't know where they were or how long they'd be out here, that would have to be enough for now.

Looking over the remains of last night's fire, Lassiter watched as Sydney continued to sleep. He was torn, between being practical and waking her so that they could get a move on and less practical and let her sleep. The sounds of her screams just a few hours before were the one thing that caused him to hesitate.

That and the words she'd spoken.

What had happened to her mother that would make her react like that?

Lassiter looked at the girl who did show a slight resemblance to the man who both annoyed him and had managed to become one of his closest friends. Not that he'd ever admit that to Shawn. But Sydney did look like her father and at times she acted like him.

Yet it was the differences that stood out to Lassiter. The way she seemed to have Spencer's gifts, he would never admit he referred to them as that, but at the same time had learned to work within the constraints of the badge. She was also more mature than her father, yet Lassiter knew Shawn's immaturity was more often than not an act.

But watching the girl sleep, Lassiter realized that this was the most relaxed he had seen her. It seemed as if she was always watching her back, watching what she said, whiting what she did. What could she be hiding that she felt the need to do that?

Before he could think much further on it, the girl in question stirred, slowly sitting up, wincing in pain. "Oh, that smarts."

Lassiter handed her some food, enough that she could take some pain killers with, before pulling first aid out. Once you eat, we can check on it and then get moving."

Sydney looked up at the trees. "Judging by what I can see of the sun, it's probably already 8 in the morning. Which means we've got about 8 hours of sunlight left."

A few minutes later, Lassiter was checking the gunshot wound, carefully taking off the large shoe he'd found the night before for her to wear. The wrapping was covered in blood and he was glad for the glove he'd grabbed as he unwound the gauze, getting to her foot. It smelled awful, but it had been wrapped and they weren't exactly in the best position to get shows so it could be nothing. He'd keep an eye on it just in case.

Cleaning it, he did his best to cause her as little pain as possible. Finally, they got through it and Sydney made her way to her feet, leaning on the stick. "Ready?"

Lassiter grabbed her bag, taking a few things out and throwing them in his before helping her settle it on her shoulders. He did the same for his and off the set. They followed the sun, Sydney noted that the sun would set in the West towards the ocean so it was at least one way to find their way.

"Hey, Detective Lassiter?"

"What's up, Sydney?"

"Why does Shawn call you Lassie?"

Lassiter turned to look at the kid and realized she was serious. "I think at first he did it to annoy me. But, promise me you won't tell him I said this…" He turned to see her nod. "I don't mind it too much anymore. It's a nick name, but a sign I belong somewhere."

"Something everyone wants."

"You've got a bit of your grandmother in you." Lassiter looked at the girl and remembered is sessions with Shawn's mother.

"Oh?"

"She's into psychology."

"I thought about studying that. That or Criminal Justice. I hadn't decided."

Lassiter held back a branch and let Sydney pass him. "You could double major."

"I could." She let out a sigh.

"My turn for a question."

"Alright." He saw her stiffen a bit.

"Relax." He smiled, starting with a question to break down some walls before getting to what he wanted to know. Like Shawn, even though he wouldn't admit it, his daughter seemed like the time who didn't let people in easily. "What kind of martial arts?"

"I started in judo when I was little. I've dabbled in krav maga as well as a few other forms. I've got a black belt in those two though."

"Really?" Two black belts, that was an was glad that the odds of him having to rescue her from some of the situations her father ended up in were small. "That's impressive for your age."

"Thanks." She stopped, doubling over to catch her breath. "I'm not sure how far I'm going to be able to walk on this foot."

"You shouldn't be walking on it at all." Lassiter stopped beside her. He knelt down and shrugged his bag off, "Hop on."

"Are you insane?"

"No, I'm trying to be practical. We can get you off of that foot for now."

Sydney got on his back and Lassiter shifted her weight, hoping that the time he'd been spending in the gym would pay off. Grabbing his bag, he secured it on her good foot before taking off again.

"How did you and Shawn end up working together. I read about the McCallum family case but I figure there's more to the story."

Lassiter snorted, remembering that first case with Shawn. "Well it started about nine years ago when my former partner and I were investigating a series of stereo shop robberies. On top of that, the McCallum families' son had gone missing and since they were a well-to-do family people were riding the SBPD."

Those had been a long couple of weeks, that was for sure.

"Anyways, I come into work one day and some kid had called in a tip that turned out to be extremely accurate. So I had him brought in for questioning. Because, it turned out that it was the store manager. But that information was so good…"

Sydney interrupted him. "That it had to come from the inside."

"Exactly, so here I sit hoping to find this inside source when in walks-"

"Shawn."

"Are you telling this or am I?"

She laughed. "Sorry."

He shook his head, walking between some trees, glad that this was November and it was a little less sweltering. Had this been June…

Lassiter didn't want to think about it.

"In walks Shawn Spencer with a list of strikes against him that was the size of my arm and a snarky attitude that drove me up the wall…"

It had taken most of the night for a solid search party to be put together. People had gone into the woods with no success so it was an anxious bunch that gathered near the cabin where Sydney and Lassie had been held captive.

Shawn stood near the front of the group, hoping that they would be able to find her quickly. The cleaning beside the park had turned into a base camp with tents, trucks, cars, and people swarming the area. Hundreds of people form the National Park Service to the SBPD, to the state police to a few of Alex's buddies who showed up in the early hours of the morning milled around the clearing.

"Alright everyone!" Chief Vick yelled into a bullhorn. Her usual business attire had been replaced with more forest friendly gear, much like the rest of the volunteers. "Sunrise is in twenty minutes and we have a lot of ground to cover. If you go to the tent to my left you will receive an information packet as well as a kit with a GPS unit and first aid supplies. Pictures of both Detective Lassiter and Miss Collins as well as our escaped convicts are inside. Keep in mind that Sydney Collins has sustained injuries so finding her in a timely manner is important."

With that, people began dispersing to their various stations. Shawn looked around, taking in the familiar scene Part of him knew that he should be on this case and part of him knew he was Sydney's best chance.

That and someone had to keep his father in check.

Speaking of…

Shawn wandered around, looking for his father and heard him long before he saw him. Somehow, his father had managed to not lose his voice even though everything he'd said had been about six decibels above what is considered conversational volume.

"Dad, please don't scare the nice people who are trying to help." Shawn led him away, shooting an apologetic look to the rookie officers who had found themselves at the wrong end of Henry.

Shawn led his father over to the tent where they picked up their packets. The Chief had put the into a group with Jules, Gus, Buzz, and a park ranger Shawn didn't know. Putting on one of the ugliest bright orange vests that Shawn had ever seen, he reviewed the packet, seeing if there was anything new from last night. Nothing stood out to him and he went to the designated meeting point.

Buzz was waiting for them and Shawn was glad they'd gotten stuck with him. Eventually, Shawn hoped he would make detective, but part of Shawn had to admit that he would miss having him work cases like this.

Then again, he could always butt into Buzz's cases.

"Buzz!"

"Hey Shawn." The man's usually cheerful disposition was a little flat today. "Glad I can help you find her."

"Thanks Buzz."

Buzz nodded to the woman wearing the NPS shirt beside him. "This is Ranger Christi Mosley."

Henry shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Shawn Spencer, Psychic Detective extraordinary. This is my partner, Smokey the Bear, and my girlfriend Detective Juliet Ohara."

"Really Shawn?"

Jules whacked him and he smiled. "And this is Henry Spencer. I'd say his bark is worse than his bite but I'd be lying and he taught me not to lie to park rangers."

"Shawn!"

Ranger Christi looked a little confused but pulled out her map. "Alright, last night, you marked the point where you sensed that they entered the woods."

Shawn ignored how she said the word sensed. Another skeptic. Granted, he didn't believe in psychics either but that wasn't the point.

"Yes! And that's where we'll start. Gus!"

"Yeah?"

"Emergency snack pack ready?"

"Always."

"Then let's find Sydney so we can get back to civilization." Pushing past the group, Shawn entered the woods at the point where he'd seen the tracks the night before and quickly realized that he was majorly out of his element.

Why did it have to be the woods?

Why couldn't it be someone fun like a slushi festival?

They wandered the woods, Henry taking the lead.

"Man," Shawn leaned close to Gus. "Why did it have to be the woods?"

"Ever since your fathers 'educational camping trips' I've had a fear of the woods." Gus shuddered and Shawn couldn't help but do the same at the memory.

"What the survival 101 or the lessons in terrain chases?" Shawn remembered the zig zag chase and the many that came after it. Granted it had come in handy that one time….

Didn't mean he appreciated it.

Most of the day was spent wandering the woods. And as the sun set, they trudged back to base camp tired, sore, and without their friends.

Spirits were low as they re-entered base camp and Shawn found himself wandering over to where the Chief was having a discussion with Agent Taylor.

"Agent Taylor, a word?" Something had been bugging Shawn since he'd met the kid the day before and he was curious.

"How can I help you, Mr. Spencer?"

Shawn shook his head. "It's Shawn that-" he pointed at Henry who had found a place to get food, "is Mr. Spencer."

"Then just Alex." Alex held out his hand and Shawn shook it.

"I've been sensing that you knew Sydney back in DC. Am I right?"

Alex nodded. "We go back a bit. When she didn't answer my text yesterday and I saw the report pop up on your database, I was already in LA so I came up here. My wife, Janice, would kill me if I didn't come and help find Sydney. And then my four year old would get on me for not helping her Aunt Sydney."

"So you were close to her?"

A look crossed Alex's face, one he'd seen on Sydney's face a few times when she seemed to be thinking about her wording. "We met about seven years ago. I said something she didn't appreciate and she kindly put me in my later put my flat on the ground. Word to the wise, don't get on her bad side. Or mess with her before she has had her first cup of coffee."

"Noted." Shawn studied the man in front of him, the one who knew Sydney's past, who probably knew what she was hiding. And he noticed that the man was doing the same.

"You know, when Sydney got that note, I wondered about the type of man you were. She let me see the note and of course I ran a full check on you when she wasn't looking,"

"And?" Part of Shawn's mind was back at the note but he was curious about what this man had to say.

"I see why things went down the way they did all those years ago. But I also see you're different now, even if you don't want to admit it. And I also learned where Sydney got some things. But Shawn?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get her back, I need you to watch out for her. After what happened to her mom—"

"I assume you aren't going to tell me either." Shawn couldn't seem to find info on Becca's case.

"Not my story to tell. But she blames herself when she shouldn't."

Shawn studied the man and saw the haunted look in his eyes. "You were there."

"I was, but like I said, not my story to tell." He nodded to the group. "I need to get back, but if you don't mind, I think I'll join your group tomorrow."

"You're more than welcome to the party." Shawn walked away. "But bring snacks."

 **AN: I wanted Alex and Shawn to have a moment and I was glad it kinda worked here. Plus, I'm setting them up to spend some quality time searching for our girl. See you next time!**


	9. Wandering Musings

**AN: I'm so sorry that I missed a couple of updates. Real life has gotten insane so with work and I'm taking a couple of trips, I'm going to go down to updating just once a week for a bit. That way, I can still work on this, but maybe help myself to feel a little less overwhelmed.**

 **Special thanks to phnxgrl and Angel1D98 for their reviews! I really appreciate the feedback from you guys. So thanks!**

 **Here we go!**

Lassiter felt Sydney shift on his back as he continued to walk through the never ending woods. How on Earth had he managed to get lost for over 24 hours now?

Sydney had started to run a fever the night before and when they'd unwrapped her wound, the found puss confirming that they were officially in a worse case scenario. Infection would go from bad to worse and Sydney had two wounds that were getting infected.

Luckily, he'd found a stream and was following it. Eventually it had to lead to a bigger body of water and civilization, right?

"How long was I out?"

He smiled. "About two hours."

"Do you think they're going to find us?"

"I'm sure of it." Lassiter hoped she wasn't so much like her father that she'd catch him in that lie.

"No, you're not. You're saying that to make me feel better."

Yup, human lie detector.

"So what if I did."

She laughed. "Can I ask you another question?"

Lassiter was quickly learning to blame her grandmother for the fact that she was easy to talk to. Those sessions they had done years ago, did help him sort out some of what was left after his divorce. And the few times they'd talked after had helped when he needed it.

Even if it did seem like half of their impromptu sessions were spent venting about her son.

"Go ahead, kid."

"I read about your wedding. You married someone you arrested?"

Lassiter couldn't help but laugh. "Love is a strange thing, kid. But yes. I'll admit, if you had told me four years ago that I would be married today, to someone with a record, I would have laughed."

"So what happened?"

"It's partially your father's fault, you know."

He heard a scoff. "What?"

"It was a case involving the museum. It seems like every few years, someone tries to steal something out of there and the people there love Shawn. He dug up their dinosaur, which might have something to do with it."

"He dug up a dinosaur?"

Lassiter shook his head. "Your father has a habit of picking up odd cases. But some jewel thieves tried to knick some of the stones that were part of a traveling exhibit and ending up killing one of their own in the process. Your father was the first to realize that our victim was less of a victim that we originally thought. He'd wrapped that case that day in a particularly annoying manner so I went to a bar to get a drink to blow off some steam."

He went on to tell her about Marlowe's case, the heartbreak that had been there for all of his coworkers to see when he had to arrest her and then walk out of the room. The fact that he decided to throw some of his standards to the wind and wait for the woman he'd inexplicably fell in love with. The weekly prison vista before she was paroled early for good behavior.

Not that he was surprised.

Their engagement and their quick wedding and the fact that Spencer and his partner had broken up either that night or the next day. And he'd never quite figured out what had happened there.

The whole time, Sydney seemed to soak up the story like a sponge. She'd been like that this entire time, especially when the story involved Spencer. Or the Civil War. When he admitted that he'd reenacted a few times, they got talking about battles and events.

But she didn't talk about herself. At least not openly. Constantly, Lassiter felt as if she was telling half-truths and covering up something. Covering up whatever it was that involved her behavior at the cabin, her knowledge of Crimmons, and whatever happened to her mother.

And still, Lassiter couldn't come up with anything to explain it.

"You were named after a city in Australia?"

He felt her shift behind him and he adjusted slightly. "I've always found it rather funny, to be honest. And when I visited Sydney, some people got a kick out of it."

"You've been."

"A couple of times." The guarded tone was back. "I found it funny to find out that Shawn still hasn't made it there yet. "But it's a fun place to visit - I wouldn't mind going again."

"Got the travel bug from Spencer?"

"Maybe. I had fun crossing the country on my own. Saw the sights, took my time, cleared my head a bit." She let out a sigh. "But I was relieved when I pulled into Santa Barbara. One can only handle but so much road food."

Lassiter laughed. "Very true"

The two walked in silence, Lassiter willing to leave Sydney to her thoughts as he sorted through his own. It was rare for him to feel as if he'd lost control of a situation, and here in the middle of the woods so completely out of his element, he felt that he didn't have control. In fact, he had no certainties, only guesses.

He guessed this stream would lead to civilization. It could be miles and days more of wandering and they didn't have food for that and Sydney needed a doctor.

He could be in the national park, or he could be on public ground.

He could be safe from Drimmer and Cowley or they could show up at any time. Even with a gun, the idea of having to deal with them in the middle of the woods did not bring warm fuzzy feelings to his gut.

As the sun rose high over head, Lassiter sat Sydney down by the stream and began refilling their water bottles before changing her bandage. She took a couple more of the pills, but both knew they were doing little more than taking the edge off.

But she wasn't complaining, she hadn't complained once the entire time they wandered the woods and Lassiter found himself thanking the big man upstairs that he had lucked out and got a teenager that didn't act like… well a teenager.

Though that bugged him, even though he hadn't mentioned it again. Something had happened to her, something that caused her to know how to act in some crazy situations. Better than some trained cops even.

They sat by the stream for a few minutes, Lassiter rubbed his sore shoulders. But all too soon he knew he needed to stop wasting daylight and needed to get moving. Helping Sydney back up, he kept on walking.

And part of him wondered if it would ever end.

He hoped it did.

Shawn hated camping.

He knew that the hatred was partially irrational, he knew that it came from the never ending "survival" trip his father had forced on him. But knowing that and trying to tell himself that it was okay were two different things. And he wished he did like to camp but Jules wanted to go camping with him. It was something she had done with her brothers and it was something she wanted to do with him.

But he hated it so much.

So, after two nights of sleeping on the ground and still not finding Sydney, Shawn's mood was slipping to a dangerous place.

He climbed out of the tent and wandered over to where a food station had been set up. Even on the second full day of the search, there were still a lot of people here and he hadn't quite figured out what all they did. But if whatever they were doing would help find Sydney, he'd be grateful.

Jules met him at the entrance to the tent, an extra cup of coffee in her hand. Handing it to Shawn, she stole a quick kiss. "Good morning."

"Morning Jules."

Somehow she managed to not only look extremely chipper, but she managed to look fantastic considering she was sleeping on the ground. How she managed it, he would never know. Jeans and a t-shirt and he'd skipped his morning hair routine.

"About time you woke up." His father patted him on the back as he entered the tent.

Shawn wandered to where people had sat out food and grabbed himself some breakfast. Looking around, he saw Alex on the phone the smile on his face telling Shawn that Alex's wife was on the other line. Janice? Something like that.

"I met Shawn last night." Alex was saying as Shawn settled nearby. "And it actually explained a lot about Sydney. Some of the moments he's had the last couple of days, the info he's pieced together. I see where Syd got it from."

Shawn took a bit of the danish he'd grabbed, wondering what he could learn from this conversation.

"It's hard, Janice. They have no idea who she was before she came out here. So respecting her wishes yet doing my best to find her. And for all he can see, he's not seeing a thing. At least not that I can tell. She might be able to pull it off."

Pull what off?

Shawn wandered away, heading out of the food tent and over to where assignments were being passed enough. Sure enough, the CIA agent was joining his group today. Which considering this Agent might know his secret, since he knew Sydney pretty well, could be a good thing or a bad thing.

"Spirits got anything for us today, Shawn?"

Shawn turned to see Buzz walk up with Gus.

"Nothing today. The spirits, I'm afraid, are not a fan of camping." Shawn rubbed his head, grabbing the pack from the dispatch officer who was managing them today. "Hopefully once I wake up a bit, I might be a bit more receptive to their messages.

Buzz wandered away and Gus fell into step beside him as they walked through the camp. "Have I mentioned I hate camping?"

"Join the club." Gus all but grunted.

"What I wouldn't give for our binder of delivery menus and the Psych office."

"You know that's right." Gus fist bumped him. "And the ice cream cart."

"Yes!"

"How are you doing with all this?"

Shawn turned toward him. "What, the multiple nights of camping, the childhood flashbacks that won't go away, the fact that I have a daughter, the fact that said daughter is missing, or better yet, the fact that said daughter is hiding something from me."

"What?"

Shawn filled him in on the bit of the conversation he'd overheard earlier. "So, no idea what she's hiding. Unfortunately, haven't known her long enough to have any suspicions, or theories."

"Well, I guess we have to find her and find out."

"That's one way to look at it. But Gus, I have a kid. A kid that I didn't know about. I missed a lot of moments and after seeing what that did to Jules."

"You mean with Frank." Gus stopped. "Shawn, this is nothing like this. Frank knew Jules existed. You didn't know Sydney had even been born."

"I told you not to blame yourself for these things." Jules joined them.

"Can't help it."

They walked to the arrival point, and found Alex waiting for them along with Buzz. The group studied the map and began making their way to the sector of the day. For a couple of hours, they walked around finding just as much as they did before.

"Do you smell that?" Gus stopped just after they had broken for lunch.

"Super sniffer?" Shawn couldn't help but smile at the slight look of confusion that crossed Alex's face.

Gus had found something and the group followed him as he occasionally course corrected. After a couple of minutes, he stopped by the remains of a fire.

Alex knelt down. "The fire's at least 24 hours old. This could be from their first night."

Shawn knelt down next to him and caught the remnants of bandages. "It's them."

Gus knelt down. "Anyone else smell that?"

Jules and Buzz caught up. "What's going on?"

"We found their camp." Shawn got up. "They were here. But that's the good news."

"There's bad news?"

Shawn nodded to the bandages that Jules was putting into evidence bags. "At least one of Sydney's wounds is infected."

Gus wrinkled his nose as Jules sealed the bag. "And it's bad."

Buzz made some notes using a GPS device. "I've sent the location back to Chief Vick. If someone find the second campsite, we might be able to track their progress."

"We're about three miles from the cabin. They did good that first night." Alex looked back in the direction of the cabin. "Especially if Sydney is injured."

"Did you get anything out of Wignall?" Shawn turned to Alex who was the one to question him about the escape, kidnapping, and the events of two days ago. When Shawn had snuck the transcript from Jules, he noticed some things had been cut out but couldn't figure out why that was the case.

Could it be whatever Sydney was hiding?

Who was he to talk about secrets though considering he was lying to the entire Sydney and lied to Jules for years.

"Not a lot. He mentioned that she was stabbed and shot. Same thing we learned from Lassiter on the phone. But these unconnected cases, along with the documents that were left on the table in the cabin, don't add up."

Shawn had to agree with him there. The kidnapping, the plans, he was still stewing it over. Maybe after they found Sydney, he could go back to finding the missing piece.

He loved puzzles but hated when pieces were missing and are being quite stubborn about being found.

"It doesn't." Shawn turned away from the campsite. "So what, we use subtraction, multiplication, division?"

The group just stared at him. "I'm sensing the key to the answers lies in these woods somewhere. One half of the key might need our help very badly very soon. Let's go."

With that, Shawn walked back into the woods. Childhood flashbacks or not, he had a kid to find.

 **AN: Thanks for reading!**


	10. Desperate

**AN: Another week, another chapter! I'll be honest that I debated through today what I was going to do here, but I'm happy with what I decided. Thank you so much for reading and a special thank you to phnxgrl for her review! I appreciate knowing that you guys are enjoying it.**

 **With this rewrite, I'm debating some of the things I'm going to change down the road. Already, there are subtle changes but they could become so much more. For those of you who read the earlier version of this story/series, let me know of some things you wished I'd done differently. I'd love to hear your opinions.**

 **But enough from me, you're probably going "get on with it already" so here you are!**

Lassiter stoked the fire at the end of their third day of wandering. Sydney lay nearby, still sleeping like she had been for about six hours now. Fire started, he went to check on her bandages. Puss oozed out of the wound as he unwrapped the bandage on her foot. With all the little bones in there, he wondered how long it would take for her to get back on her feet.

Cleaning it as best as he could, Lassiter rinsed his hands in the stream. Something still told him they were lost in the national park, but he would plea survival if the feds had a cow about the fires. Not that he particularly cared about it, but he did let his mind wonder to what the rest of the world was up to while he was trying to fight for not only his survival but the survival of Shawn's daughter.

"What time is it?"

He turned to see Sydney sitting up.

"How you feeling?"

She winced as she sat all the way up. "A little better."

She looked around. "The sun just went down?"

He nodded. "Day three."

Pulling her blanket close, Sydney stared at the fire. "Lassie, remember how you asked me a question that day in the cabin. You asked what could explain some of what I did? Could explain Crimmons?"

It took a lot of self control - something Lassiter was surprised he still had - for him not to show his interest. But he held a neutral position. "And then what you said later, I didn't press it."

"Right." She took the jerky he handed her. Lassiter didn't want to admit that he was starting to get scared about if they would get found in time. Both knew, even if they wouldn't admit it, that if Sydney didn't get medical help soon, there would be some serious consequences.

"What about it?"

He heard a sigh come from her general direction. "Shawn's gifted and I inherited a lot of his gifts."

"So I've heard."

Actually, Lassiter wondered if Shawn met have finally not only met his match but someone who could surpass him. The expression like father like daughter might apply here, but there was an edge to Sydney that might give her the upper hand at times.

"Mom knew, she figured some of it was from him so she tried to find me opportunities to be able to use them in a constructive way instead of doing something stupid with them."

"Like stealing a car to impress a girl."

"Exactly." She let out a sigh. "One thing she wanted me to be able to do was defend myself so she enrolled me in one of the junior martial arts classes. I was like three when I started and by the time I was five, I was further along then some of the kids twice my age. Add to that, I was possibly going to only do a week of kindergarten and possible skip to second grade and mom had a prodigy on her hands."

Lassiter wasn't sure what this had to do with it, but he couldn't help but note that he probably knew more about Sydney than Shawn did. "Okay."

"And in DC, as well as around it, prodigies don't go long without being noticed. And I was and Mom was approached by a man who said he could use a girl with skill like mine."

She paused. "I met Crimmons about five years ago in Italy. I was there to help keep someone important safe and I'm not ashamed to say that I played him like a fiddle and the funny thing is that he doesn't realize that that is what I did. The whole time, he thought that we had a teacher pupil relationship when he didn't realize how was in charge."

"Who were you protecting? Why were you protecting anyone?"

"I can't tell you who, that's classified." She shrugged. "In fact, the only reason I'm telling you any of this is if something happens to me, and don't say nothing's going to happen cause we both know that this is serious and that if we don't get me help soon it could get worse, but Shawn need to know. Because things are going to happen that he won't understand and…"

"I need him to understand that it might not make sense to him why Mom agreed to let me give it a try, but I need him to not blame her. She did what she thought was best for me and I'm glad that she did. I wouldn't be who I am today if she hadn't made that decision."

"What decision?"

"Lassiter, I'm about to tell you information that is considered classified. There is a clause that allows me to tell you in case of emergencies like this. But you are not to divulge this information without my permission or discuss it with anyone else unless they give you the code word."

"And that is?" He was officially curious now.

"Sagittarius." She shifted her position a bit, wincing in pain. "This story really starts in 2002, a few months after I had turned five. By then, I was already reading on a fourth grade reading level and had my green belt which was unheard of for someone my age. And if I'm too out of it when help arrives, there's a piece of paper on the inside of my jacket with a number. Call it and tell them to send my medical records wherever. Ask for Alex."

"Alex." Lassiter nodded.

"So, 2002 was the year a lot would happen in the wake of one of the most devastating events in history. Like I said, someone sought Mom out because of the promise they saw in me. And when they told Mom she at first thought it was crazy. But I want to defend her, before I go too much further."

Sydney shifted again and winced. "She did what she thought was best for me. She was still in school, working a day job, taking online classes and raising me. She wanted what every parent wants, to give me my best chance. And she did. So here's what you tell Shawn…"

Three days.

Three whole days he'd been wandering the woods with a ton of people looking for two people. But it was like finding a needle in a haystack, it was in insurmountable task.

Walking back to his tent, Shawn looked around at the field. It was still bustling, but people were getting discouraged. He could feel it along the whole camp. More campsites had been found but it seemed as if Lassie and Sydney were one step ahead of them, and possibly Cowley and Drimmer, and stayed hidden.

Shawn took a detour and ended up beside the stream that went along a bit of the far side of the camp. Putting his hands in, he washed the water over his face. Drying it off with his shirt, he wandered through the camp, allowing himself to be lost in his thoughts.

The last couple of days had been interesting, trying to figure out what Alex knew about Sydney that he didn't. Granted, it was a lot and there was a fair bit that Alex was willing to share. Shawn remembered a story from earlier.

 _"She was 12 at the time, this wasn't too long after we had met, and she got it in her head that she was too big for the 'simple obstacle courses that are meant for children' and wanted to go on the big one from grownups."_

 _Shawn couldn't help but laugh at the air quotes Alex used along with the face he made. Sounded like the kid might be more like him than he had thought._

 _"Of course her mom couldn't talk her out of it, and she never listened to me anyways, so she did it and got stuck. She wasn't quite tall enough to get to the top but she didn't want to come down either. So she hung there… for a half hour until I finally went up and helped her."_

 _"Seriously?"_

 _"You'll learn quickly, Shawn, that once she puts her mind to something there's no changing it._

The more Shawn heard the more she sounded like him. And at times he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Probably drove Becca off the walls at times.

He wandered to where the Chief was talking to a group of people and lingered in a way that wasn't like him until they left before walking up to her. "How's it going?"

"Do you know if Sydney has any health concerns, besides the injuries she sustained a few days ago, that we should be worried about?"

Shawn shrugged sheepishly. "Ask Alex. He'd now better than me."

The Chief nodded. "How are you doing, Shawn."

"Better than my dad." He nodded to the man in question who had taken up his hobby of yelling at anyone and everyone again. "Frustrated, worried, a little annoyed at all the outdoors, but determined."

She smiled. "Good, we need to find them soon or…"

"Sydney's going to have more problems than being lost in the woods, with Lassiter, who hasn't had his morning coffee in three days. Poor kid."

"Let me know if you pick up on anything, Shawn."

"Will do." He stuck his hands in his pocket and wandered some more, finally making his way back to the tent where Jules waited. Inside, Gus was already asleep in the little paneled off room that had really become his own space. Granted, Shawn and Jules had taken over the main part of the tent.

"What took you so long?"

"Needed to clear my head." He ducked inside and took his shoes off, leaving them outside before laying down with a groan. "Jules, I'm trying to remember if my own bed was just a dream."

She laughed. "It's not that bad, Shawn."

"It's not, we could be Sydney and Lassiter." Shawn looked out the doorway towards the woods that were barely visible in the growing darkness.

"Luckily, we've been having a bit of an Indian Summer."

He nodded. "Lucky."

Jules climbed into the tent and onto their makeshift bed. Shawn unbutton his top, leaving his nightshirt and pulled her close as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

A scream tore through the night and Shawn sat straight up. It rang out again and deep in his gut he knew it was Sydney. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out how, but her knew. Grabbing his shoes, he took off through the campsite, grabbing a bag with a device as Alex, Jules, Gus, and his dad caught up to him.

The screams continued and they sounded like they were in pain, anguish, despair. Shawn wanted to make it stop, wanted to let Sydney know that she was okay. But he had to find her.

Shawn wasn't the only one awoken by the screams and the camp was starting to buzz again as Shawn took off. Turning on the radio in the bag. "Home base, this is Pineapple, I'm en route."

"Be careful, Pineapple." The Chief's voice was on the other end. "We don't know who or what is out there."

Footsteps behind him told him the group was with him and he took off towards the screams, for once grateful for the survival training his dad had provided when he was younger. Every so often, he course corrected and soon he knew he was close.

"Sydney, I need you to wake up." Lassiter's voice came from ahead. "It's just a dream."

"Lassie?" Shawn yelled out.

"Spencer?" The response was hopeful.

Taking off, he entered a small clearing by a stream, he wondered if it was the one that ran by camp. Sitting there, by the remains of a fire, was Lassiter. Sydney was next to him and he could see the pain on her face as she let out another cry.

"Sydney." Shawn got down on his knees and held the girl close. "It's time to wake up."

He could feel the heat radiating off of her and knew that it was bad. Rocking her back and forth, he ran his hands through her hair. "It's alright, shhh."

"Carlton." Jules rushed over to her partner and helped him up.

Grabbing the radio with one hand while holding Sydney with the other, Shawn pushed the button. "Pineapple, to Home Base. Pineapple to Home Base. Anyone there?"

"Coming in loud and cleaer, Pineapple."

"I have Junior and Slim. Junior requires immediate medical attention."

"Turn on your GPS device."

Shawn nodded to Gus who grabbed the device and turned it on.

"Device is on and read, Home Base." Shawn picked up Sydney who was still whimpering. "Going to try and make our way back to you."

"10-4 Pineapple."

Shawn shoved the radio back in the bag. His dad grabbed the bag Sydney had been using as a pillow and Jules helped Carlton up as Gus grabbed that bag. Alex grabbed the one from camp and slowly the group began to make their way back to camp. It was Gus' turn to course correct them since he was holding the GPS device and soon he could hear the sounds of camp.

A sigh of relief came from behind him and he turned to see Lassiter stare in the direction of the noise. "We were that close?"

"Right under our noses. That stream runs through camp too. You would have probably stumbled into camp tomorrow."

Shawn carried Sydney into camp and cheers broke out as the group came into sight. In his arms, Sydney stirred slightly before settling back into sleep. Medical technicians met them and Shawn laid Sydney on a stretcher, following them as they began talking a mile a minute. They took her to an ambulance while saying something about a chopper meeting them a few miles away to air lift Sydney back to Santa Barbara.

Another group of medical technicians surrounded Lassiter and he received similar treatment. Shawn quickly saw him get loaded into one ambulance as he got int another with Sydney. To his surprise, Alex got into Lassiter's ambulance with Jules while Gus and his father hopped into the Blueberry.

For now, Sydney was okay. Even if there were two people still out there ready and waiting. Shawn just hopped he could stop them in time.

 **AN: I'd debated not rescuing Sydney for another chapter, but decided she needed to be rescued so we could finally get some Sydney and Shawn fluff. Plus, we have some bad guys to catch and Shawn was a bit distracted. Hope you enjoyed!**


	11. What She Really Wants

**AN: Two whole weeks, I'm so sorry guys! I'm actually on vacation and I'm throwing this up before I head to bed. But I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. This scene includes one of my favorite Shawn/Sydney moments from the original, slightly rewritten. I really hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **A special thanks to phnxgrl for her review, glad you are still enjoying the story. With that, I'll leave you guys with this!**

It could have been worse. Lassiter had to admit that to himself as he laid back in the hospital bed, feeling the relief of the ice on his shoulders as Marlowe held his hand. Dehydration and a bunch of bruises, not to mention his shoulders would be sore for quite a while.

But the last few hours had been a relief after the last few days. Even if he hated them, Lassiter had to admit that hospitals had an order to them, they were in civilization, and Sydney was finally safe. The growing feeling of helplessness he'd been fighting the last few days was finally residing and he allowed himself to relax into the bed.

The Doctor's said they wanted to keep him a day for observation, but already he was feeling a bit restless. Though he wondered if part of it was wanting to check on Sydney versus not wanting to be in this bed. It was a bit of both he had to admit.

"I'm glad your safe." Marlowe smiled at him and Lassiter felt a smile grow on his face. "I was so worried about you. And I can't believe Shawn has a daughter."

"Who would have thought?"

And who would have thought. There were still moments that Lassiter still had to pause and realize that the girl he had helped protect the last few days was related to the man who frequently enjoyed getting under his skin. Granted, he was also one of the best detectives Lassiter had ever met - not that he would ever actually admit that to Shawn - but the point still stood. But who would have thought that irresponsible, previously commitment phobic Shawn Spencer would have a kid.

Granted one he didn't know about, but a kid that turned out like Sydney.

Marlowe chuckled at his statement. "What's she like?"

"Not like you'd expect."

She really wasn't.

Before he could say more, the door to the room opened and Agent Alex Taylor, Lassiter couldn't believe he missed working a case with a CIA agent, seriously why did everyone else get to have all the fun while he was stuck in the woods, walked in.

"Sorry, Mrs. Lassiter, but I need to speak to Detective Lassiter alone for a few minutes about some sensitive things."

Nodding, Marlowe got up and paused at the doorway. "I'll be right outside."

Lassiter nodded. "It's fine."

And he assumed it was, after the conversation he had had a couple of hours ago, he had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Sagittarius."

Well he wasted no time.

"What about it?"

Agent Taylor took a seat in the chair next to him. "Thanks for watching out for her out there. I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to her. She's like the little sister I never had."

"She has a way of doing that, doesn't she?" When Agent Taylor looked confused, Lassiter continued. "She manages to work her way into your heart faster than her father can work his way under your skin."

Laughing, Agent Taylor looked out the window. "So she told you."

It wasn't a question, rather it was a statement that both men in the room acknowledged the secret they both were keeping to protect a girl that Lassiter hadn't known a week but he knew Agent Taylor had known for a long while.

"She said it was protocol, in case something happened to her. We didn't know how long we'd be in those woods and she was deteriorating and fast. We both knew it, neither of us would admit it. Too stubborn."

"That she is." Alex turned to him. "You do know the consequences should you share that secret with anyone, including your wife."

Lassiter nodded. "I know, she told me. She really thinks she can hide that? It wasn't even a day after I met her and she had all but blown it."

"Tell me everything that occurred from the moment you left the station." Agent Taylor pulled out a pad of paper.

And for the next half hour or so, Lassiter found himself recounting the crazy events of the last few days. Running into (literally) the young psychic, on a whim getting her to tag along, the accident, waking up, being questioned, Sydney breaking them out, Sydney fighting with nothing more than a kitchen knife, and their escape in the woods.

The whole time, Agent Taylor listened, occasionally asking for clarification. Lassiter then recounted the last few days in the woods, realizing that he had almost made one giant circle. He then talked about the conversation that had happened a few hours ago and how after that, everything seemed to make sense.

Boy, did he feel stupid.

Finally closing his notebook, Agent Taylor stood up. "Thanks for going through that for me, I'm sure the SBPD will want to take their own statement, but considering some circumstances…"

"I'll skim over some key conversations." Lassiter couldn't believe he'd just agreed to all but lie on a police report. "Any word on Sydney?"

"Last I heard, they were wheeling her into surgery. They're going to have to take a look at her foot and see what the damage is. I'm heading that way to check on her."

"Okay." Lassiter leaned up against his pillows and sighed. "At least she's out of the woods."

Both couldn't help but laugh at that statement. "Well, literally that is."

"I think she's going to be just fine." With that, Agent Taylor walked out of the room and within a minute, Marlowe was back inside and at his side.

"Help me up, Marlowe." Lassiter sat up after a few seconds, allowing the agent to get a bit away first.

"The Doctor said to rest."

Lassiter swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood, wincing at how sore he felt.

"See, resting."

"I can rest downstairs in the waiting room." He grabbed his IV pole making it a few feet before Marlowe came to his side and took his elbow, giving him enough support to let him know she was there but in the way he loved, gave him the space she knew he needed.

How was he so lucky to find her?

Even if it was a hospital waiting room, words couldn't express how happy Shawn was that he was back in civilization and not wandering the woods looking for Sydney. But even though he was a human pillow for both Jules and Gus, he himself couldn't manage to get any sleep.

"It's cause it's your kid in there." Henry grunted from across the room. Shawn had thought he was asleep, arms crossed, slumped in a chair, but he guessed he was wrong.

"She's in surgery now, Janice. … No, she'll probably be just fine, just some down time. … I know, she'll not like that. …. Yes, I'll tell her to call you." Alex walked in. "Let me go for now, I'm back in the waiting room. … Love you too. …. Probably in a few days. …. Tell Kelsey I love her too. … Bye."

Hanging up, he collapsed in a chair with a sigh as he dropped a bag off his shoulder and dug a file out of it. "So, wandered the woods for four days and still have to fill out a report."

"That's one of the many perks to having a Gus." Shawn nodded to his best friend. "He'd rather do it himself because I'll doodle all over them."

Alex looked at him for a minute, a look Shawn was becoming more and more familiar with. "This has been an interesting experience."

"It has."

"Any word?" Lassiter walked in, robe around his shoulders and Marlowe at his side.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Shawn gave the Detective a look.

"I can sit and rest down here." He looked over at Alex. "Agent."

"Detective."

Lassiter settled down into a love seat, Marlowe helped him adjust his IV pole before sitting beside him, taking his hand.

The clock on the wall said it was just after six in the morning and Shawn didn't know the last time he was up this early. Probably for a case, but it had been awhile, that he knew for sure.

"With Lassiter and Miss Collins safe, we've begun to focus our search for Cowley and Drimmer. Detective Lassiter, I know Agent Taylor has gotten a statement for his people, but later today I need a statement for our records."

"Of course, Chief."

Jules stirred, sitting up. "Partner, aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I can rest here." He gestured to the chair. "Even got someone keeping an eye on me."

Marlowe grinned and waved.

"Any word on Sydney yet, Shawn?"

Shawn shook his head. "Nothing yet, Chief."

"I'm going to check in with the search, McNabb has been assigned to lead the detail protecting both Miss Collins and you Detective Lassiter."

Lassiter started to protest but the Chief quickly cut him off. "Now don't start. They kidnapped you and injured Miss Collins and until I know that my Lead Detective and my Department Psychic's daughter are safe I'm going to take necessary precautions."

With that, she stormed out of the office, almost running into McNabb who was carrying a cup. "Coffee for Henry Spencer and a smoothie for Shawn."

Taking the cup, Shawn took a deep sip of the smoothie, thankful for being back in the city and it's 24 hour access to some of the finer things in life. He'd have to show Sydney his favorite place sometime. Not the stand near the office, the one he went to when he snuck away from stakeouts with Gus.

His thought stopped him cold because there was just something about that kid in the operating room, the one with his smile and his eyes and, according to Alex, bits of him in her personality made him think.

Think of things he had started to let himself think of, kids, a family, Jules and how they all fit into that. Shoot, it was three weeks to Christmas and he now had a kid to buy for.

"What do you even get an 18-year-old for Christmas?"

It was when he saw Lassiter, Marlowe, Jules, McNabb and Alex give him an odd look that he realized that he'd asked that one out loud. Beside him, Gus stirred sitting up.

"Thanks for joining us."

"Any news?"

"Nothing yet."

"Just Shawn dwelling on something I told him not to." Jules pulled him close but Shawn pulled away.

"Seriously, I've missed 17 Christmases, 18 birthdays, and a crap ton of other holidays."

Leaning down, he put his elbows on his knees. "And now, I've got a girl who will still be laid up, just lost her mother, and is thousands of miles from everything she knows. Granted, you add the fact that I don't know the first thing about teenaged girls."

"You're rambling, Shawn." Lassiter smirked. "That's never a good thing."

"And anyways, don't kids drop hints? I know we used to as kids."

"If I can make a suggestion." Alex wore a sad smile. "You won't have to go far to find a present. In fact, you've already started to give it to her. At least what she wants isn't far."

"You want to try making sense?"

Alex laughed. "She wants you, Shawn. Trust me when I say that Sydney was not a normal kid. But she wanted what a lot of little girls had, her father."

"You know what she wanted to hear about when we were stranded out in those woods, Spencer? She wanted to know about you. That kid absorbs knowledge like a sponge. She's a great kid. Don't screw it up."

"I'll do my best not to." Shawn let out a sigh as a man in scrubs came to the doorway along with a nurse.

"Family of Sydney Collins?"

He stood up and walked over. "I'm her father."

Hearing shuffling around him, he saw that everyone had stood up.

"And the rest?"

"Are with me."

"I'm Doctor Oscar Leadly. I preformed the operation on your daughter's foot and right tibia." He held out his hand.

Shawn shook it. "Shawn Spencer."

"I've read about you in the paper. Didn't know you had a daughter."

"I didn't either until about a week ago. How is she doing?"

"Sydney is through the worst of it. She was in the woods about four days?"

"Yes, I cleaned the wound as best as I could." Lassie came up behind them.

"You did a good job, but it's good we got her in when we could. We've got a soft cast on her foot and her leg wrapped but she's going to need antibiotics to make sure the infection goes down."

"Cast?"

Doctor Leadly ran his foot across his shoe. "Your foot has dozens of tiny bones in it when the bullet went through while it was a clean shot, it broke several of those bones and put a nice crack into the big one. It would have been better if she'd had a clean break."

"But she'll be okay?"

"A few days here to make sure the infection doesn't try to return and then she'll be in a cast for about a month and a brace for a few weeks after that."

"Oh, she's going to love that." Alex let out a chuckle. "Good luck Shawn."

"If you'd like, you can sit with her while she is in recovery but I'm afraid the rest of you will have to wait a few hours for us to get her settled in her room. If you'd like to come with me, Shawn."

Shawn nodded and started to follow. "Gus?"

"Yeah?"

"Movies, and monopoly, she owes me a rematch."

"I'll check the messages and do part of my route." He fist bumped him and slid past them.

"Jules?"

"Yeah?" In a flash, she was beside him.

"Words can't express how much I would appreciate a change of clothes."

She nodded. "You and me both."

"Papa Bear?"

A grunt was his response. "I'm going to swing by the house to grab some things she might want."

"Thank you. We'll keep you posted, Lassifras, but something tells me you might want to head back to your room before the Doctor does his rounds."

"You'd better keep me posted." He shuffled out, Alex behind him.

"If you'd follow Nurse Rosenthal she'll take you there. I'll be by in a bit to check on Sydney when she wakes up."

Satisfied, Shawn followed the nurse into the recovery area. Past rows of beds until he came to the one that housed the young girl. She looked so small and innocent lying there and he could see a couple of scrapes on her face. One leg was propped up and Lassiter could see the new cast on it.

A chair sat beside the bed and he sat in it and took Sydney's hand as the nurse walked away. Everyone in the waiting room had something to do, and now he got a second to just look at the girl he'd helped to bring into the world.

"You know something, kid? I have a confession to make. I don't know the first thing about being a dad. In fact, I tend to run away from responsibility. It has gotten me in trouble a few times. But your friend Alex has been telling a bit about you but I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe we can give this a try. Cause, you don't know anything about having a father, just a protective big brother. But we can figure it out, right?"

With a sigh, he sat back in the chair as Sydney continued to sleep. He sipped on his smoothie and let his thoughts wander back to the two missing convicts.

"How's she doing?" Chief Vick came into the cubicle like space.

"Doc says she'll be okay, waiting for her to wake up. Chief, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"Any word on Cowley and Drimmer? They went after her once and I don't know how much they know about her and oh my gosh I'm starting to sound like my father."

Chief Vick laughed as she went over and brushed Sydney's hair out of her face. "You're just being a dad, though I have to say that I'm going to have to get used to thinking of you that way. But I need to get back to the station before heading back up to the mountain. I know this is a bad time, but if you get anything that might help…"

"You're on speed dial, Chief. And thanks."

"Anytime Shawn."

Chief Vick left and Shawn turned back to Sydney. It was a few more minutes before Sydney began to stir. Finally she opened her eyes. "Hey Shawn."

"Hey, Syd. You know, if you wanted to go hiking you could sweet talk Jules into it."

"I'm not sure I'm going to be hiking anytime soon." Her voice was hoarse. "Is there any…"

She waved her hand and Shawn spotted a glass of water sitting beside her bed. Grabbing it, he brought it to her lips and she took a sip.

"Much better."

"Ah, she awakens!" Doctor Leadly walked into the room. "Glad to see you awake, Miss Collins."

"When can I leave?"

Shawn couldn't hold in the snort that came out at a question he tended to ask as soon as he found a doctor in the hospital. Doctor Leadly took it in stride. "A few days, I'm afraid. That wound got a pretty nasty infection and we need to make sure it doesn't get worse. But after that, we'll put a cast on your foot. You're lucky both wounds are on the same leg, means you can go around on crutches."

Sydney let out a groan. "How long?"

"At least a month in the cast, a couple of weeks after that on crutches. But we're going to get you settled in a room. You've got a waiting room of people who want to check on you."

He left and Shawn watched him leave and almost didn't hear Sydney's next statement. "By the way, we can."

"Can what?" Shawn turned back to the girl to see a smile on her face.

"We can figure it out."

 **AN2: We've still got a bit to go before a tale is done. Bad guys to catch, some bonding, and I am** **still going to rewrite the sequel. I hope to get the next chapter up next week so I will see you then!**


	12. Floating Pieces and Old Friends

**AN: I'm finally home and starting to get back into my writing routine. Sorry this chapter was, yet again, late. But I hope you enjoy it because I think we're going to get ready to rush for the end of this tale. Hope you enjoy the guest cameo later in the chapter. I couldn't resist.**

 **A special thanks to phnxgrl for her review, glad you are still enjoying the story. With that, I'll leave you guys with this!**

"Detective, what are you doing here?"

Lassiter turned to see the Chief standing by his desk, eyebrow raised and hands on her hips. Sighing, he sat down the file he'd been reading over and met her gaze. "We were rescued four days ago, the doctor cleared me yesterday, and before I was kidnapped I was lead on this case and would like to find the SOBs that kidnapped both me and Miss Collins."

This time, it was the Chief's turn to sigh. "And I know that telling you not to pursue this will do about as much good as telling Shawn."

"One of the few things we have in common."

That earned him a smirk as the Chief went into her office, shutting the door behind her. Lassiter picked up the file, detailing the events of the rescue mission and the continued search for the two missing convicts. Around him, it was business as usual and for the first time in a while, Lassiter had to wonder how people were doing it. How were they acting like nothing had changed when it seemed as if the world itself had turned upside down?

Christmas decorations were going up around the bullpen and, as much as he hated to admit it, he wondered what he would get Sydney for Christmas. But Shawn had a daughter, a daughter who didn't act the way he imagined girls her age should act.

A ding sounded and he looked at his computer screen to see that he had a new email.

 _Just wanted to give you a heads up. Chief Vick will be hearing about this within the hour._

 _Sydney_

Attached to the email was the paperwork needed to transfer Sergio out of the custody of the SBPD and back into federal custody. He noticed that just Alex's signature was on the paperwork, but suspected Sydney had had a hand in this as well.

 _Thanks for the heads up, how long do you think you can keep this up?_

He went back to finishing the file, catching up on emails, and just enjoying the feeling of being back at his desk doing the work he loved. Another ding sounded.

 _For a while at least. You have no idea how good it feels to be normal._

Lassiter shook his head at the girl's response. Wondering just what he'd gotten himself into with being one of her secret keepers.

"I brought you some lunch."

He looked up to see Marlowe sitting a bag down on his desk. "Thanks."

She smiled at him. "How's your first day back?"

"Weird."

Marlowe took a seat in the chair beside his desk. "How so?"

He nodded to the room around him. "You know I'm always business as usual but it seems weird that…"

"That the world is continuing like the last week didn't happen when you feel like the world has spun itself upside down?"

"Exactly." He smiled at her. "She has this habit of taking what you think you know and flipping it around."

Marlowe laughed. "Add to it, she's Shawn's daughter and…"

Lassiter couldn't help but laugh. "That's just…"

Marlowe stood up and Lassiter did the same and embraced his wife. "I've got some errands to run. See you tonight?"

"I might stop by the hospital on the way home, check on Sydney."

"Alright." She kissed him quick before heading out of the bullpen. "Have a good day, Sweetie."

Settling back into his chair, Lassiter checked over the paperwork that a team had come up with that included possible hideouts when another ding sounded.

 _Btw, since Crimmons was involved, Alex and I compiled a list of known associates in the area. One of them might be supplying a hideout since we found Cowley's family's cabin._

Opening the attachment, he saw a list of names and last known locations. Under authorizing agent, he saw that it was censored out, letting him know who compiled the report.

He looked up, half tempted to call for McNab before remembering that the officer was protecting Sydney's room. Lassiter would never admit that he trusted the man as much as he did, but considering that assignment, it did send a signal. Plus, the man had come through numerous times for him and his partner.

"Shawn! What are you doing here?"

He looked up to see his partner looking shocked as Shawn came in looking as if he hadn't slept in a week, which wasn't that far off. "Spencer, why are you at the hospital?"

"Sydney kicked me out for a bit." Shawn rolled his eyes. "Pulled a moody teenager and Gus is on his route and my dad went who knows where so I came here to see if I could lend my services to the case."

"The search, the prison break, the accident. Which case are you referring to, Spencer?" Lassiter threw down case files with each statement. "They all involve the same people but I don't get what the point of the accident was or what the point of them breaking out is."

"Granted, Drimmer and Cowley have had the better luck, they've been out for over a week now." Ohara grabbed the file. "But Lassiter's right, why risk hitting the Head Detective of the SBPD and then kidnapping him."

"And Sydney." Shawn added, peeking over O'hara's shoulder. "But I agree, Lassi-doodle, it doesn't make sense. The spirits say…"

Lassiter let out a sigh. "Say what?"

Shawn tilted his head in the way that Lassiter noticed he did a lot. "They aren't completely connected, at least not in the way you are trying to make them. But they aren't completely clear on what they mean by that."

"Well, when they are clear, feel free to clue the rest of us in."

"Sure thing…"

Lassiter looked up to see Shawn staring at the board, something obviously had caught his attention. Printing out the list that Sydney had sent him, he handed it to an officer. "Get some people to comb through this list and let me know if anything pans out."

"Sure thing, Detective."

"Spencer, care to share with the rest of the class?" He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the psychic who was still staring at the board.

"Not at this time, Lassie." Shawn turned, a smug smile on his face. "But as always, when I know something, you'll be the first to know."

With that, Shawn walked out and a minute later, Lassie heard the roar of his motorcycle as he took off. Not for the first time, he wondered what the psychic was up to.

And, also not for the first time, he wished him luck.

He didn't want to admit it, especially not in front of Sydney, but the last few days in the hospital had begun to drive him a bit stir crazy. And he wasn't even a patient this time. It didn't help matters that his father had picked up the habit of laughing a knowing sort of laugh at random intervals.

Apparently, karma had decided to pay him an overdue visit.

Another thing he wouldn't admit, he was kinda glad when Sydney kicked him out for a bit. He used that as an excuse to stop by the station to see where they were on the investigation. Lassiter's frustration seemed to be matching his own, not that Shawn could blame him, shoot he didn't even have the heart to tease him like he usually would.

But it was the board. Jules was used to seeing the board that remained hidden at the Psych office and she knew his pattern. But this was a well-done one. Photos hung of the cabin, of the campsites, of the store where the robbery had happened. And Lassie was right, they had no way of knowing that they were connected.

Until he was sure, he was going to hold out but he was beginning to wonder if they were connected at all. And the board allowed him a good luck at some of the files found in the house when they arrested Lilly and Wignall. It was almost as if they were going to try and haunt a psychic. Granted, one of them sorta knew the truth but still…

They seriously thought that they were going to buy it? They might have for a bit but Lassiter didn't believe in ghosts and neither did Shawn and Jules. And when it worked on Gus, Shawn would have searched for the explanation.

So, why go through all that trouble only to make all these plans only to blow them by kidnapping one of your victims.

Which is why he was thinking that that was a spur of the moment move on their part. Gunning for the detective who put them behind bars and Sydney was nothing more than collateral damage.

Which he did not like.

He turned down another street, letting the feeling of riding on his bike calm him down as he wandered to find a lead. The coffeeshouse where they shooting had happened was still blocked off and closed. But, the officer standing guard let him in and he looked around the scene, this time being able to focus on something besides Sydney being missing and in the hands of Yin's accomplice.

When did he get so introspective?

Chuckling to himself, he walked around replaying the footage he'd seen a week ago and mimicking the movements of various people in the footage. The register had only had a couple hundred dollars in it and the shop was due for their foodservice truck so there had been a fair amount of food for them to steal.

So where could they have wandered off to?

He was following up on the tip Sydney had given him about Cowley's family. But the odds of a second property weren't looking good.

Honestly? He was stuck. And it wasn't a feeling he liked a lot.

But there wasn't anything he was going to find here, not today. Besides, he'd been away for long enough so it was time to wander back to the hospital. It was about a ten minute drive from the coffeeshop and soon he found himself coming down the hallway towards Sydney's room. Just as he reached the door, a group of people came out. A tall lanky man had his arm around the waist of a blonde woman and a shorter guy with a beard trailed behind them with someone who looked like they had spent one too many years in some form of law enforcement.

"You must be Shawn." The woman smiled. "Sydney was telling us about you. I'm Sarah and this is my husband Chuck."

"How do you know Sydney?" Shawn eyed the odd group.

All four exchanged looks before Chuck finally answered. "She and Sarah go way back."

"I was like her big sister for a while. I moved out here a while ago and before then we were pretty close. She spent Thanksgiving with us on her way here."

Shawn knew there as a lot missing but for now, he was going to take it. Eventually he'd figure Sydney out. "Nice to meet you all."

The man behind Chuck let out a grunt. "Come on, Morgan, let's get the car."

The shorter man followed him and Shawn watched them get into the elevator.

"Take care of her, Shawn." Sarah's eyes were soft. "She's been through so much. I was… I was there the night her mother died and she's come so far from then…"

"I'll take care of her. She's already managed to turn my world and half of the SBPD on it's head in a week."

All three laughed at that.

"We'll be seeing you, Shawn." Chuck led Sarah away.

Shawn wandered into Sydney's room to see her flipping through a magazine. She looked up and a smile crossed her face. "Hey Shawn."

"Hey Syd."

"The doctor came by while you were gone. He says I can go home in a couple of days if everything continues to improve."

"Well, if you are anything like me, I bet you are dying to get out of here." Shawn laughed. "In fact, when we were kids, I managed to not only break my arm but Gus' leg. We were both stuck here for a week and I tried to jail break twice a day almost made it one time too."

Sydney laughed as she leaned back against the raised head of the bed. "So you've known Gus for a while?"

"We've known each other since we were kids. Best friends since we could talk and in the last decade we were business partners. Something either of us saw coming."

"I got Lassie's side, but I want your side. How did the whole Psychic Detective thing actually happen?"

"Well, it started after a series of tips I'd been making to the SBPD. See, I'd come back here for what I thought was going to be a few months. But the day after I called in that one tip, I got called in for questioning and it didn't go quite the way I thought it would…"

 **AN: Thanks for reading guys! See you next time! By the way, if you have any suggestions or things you want to see, please let me know. I'm open to suggestion and would love to hear from y'all.**


	13. Should Have Known

**AN: So, funny story. I had a short story due at the end of July that actually took a good bit of August to finish. I was trying to focus on that so this got put on the back burner a lot. I finally finished it and I've actually finished writing this story. I'm still going to update only once a week to make sure I give myself some time to start rewriting the sequel (that' going to take some time because I have to figure out what's staying, what's going and what's changing - if you read the original series and have thoughts please feel free to let me know).**

 **Needless to say, I'm super sorry about the long wait for this chapter. But the story is done and updates should be regular for the next few weeks. When I get to the end, I might take a break to get a few chapters into the sequel.**

 **Here you go!**

"Do we have to be so dramatic about it? I said I was fine."

Shawn couldn't help but laugh at how disgruntled Sydney sounded as Gus and his dad settled her on the couch in his father's living room. He brought up the rear of the gang, crutches in hand. "Let them baby you, kid."

"Give me three good reasons why." She adjusted the cover that was handed to her. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad." Gus scoffed. "You were shot."

"And stabbed." Shawn's dad added.

"That was over a week ago." Sydney took the glass Shawn's dad was handing her. "Thanks."

Shawn came over and sat on the arm of the chair, brushing the stray hairs off her face. "We're just worried about you. Which reminds me, did we get everything out of the car?"

It seemed as if half of Santa Barbara had heard about Sydney, who she was, what had happened, and wanted to try and make up for the less than warm welcome she'd received. Old clients, friends, and a few strangers had sent gifts to the hospital. Some, Sydney donated, others she'd kept.

Her favorite was the stuffed bear holding a pineapple that Jules had brought her. In fact, Pineapple the Bear (not very original but Sydney liked it) was sitting next to her. Turns out, 18 wasn't too old for a girl to get attached to a stuffed bear.

"It took a couple of trips, but I think we got it all. Look who wanted to say hi." His dad came in with Chipper.

"Chipper! Come here little buddy! I missed you." Sydney took the rabbit and cooed at him. "Where you a good boy while I was gone."

Chipper twitched his nose as Shawn leaned over to scratch his head.

"Well if this isn't a familiar sight."

Shawn looked up at the familiar voice and saw his mom standing in the doorway of the kitchen. A smile was on her face as she took in the scene. Jumping off the couch, he went over and gave her a hug. "When did you get into town?"

"About an hour ago. I was in London at a conference and your father told me that I would be of much here and when they found her I wanted to get here sooner but…"

"It's okay, Mom." Shawn gave her another. "You just missed a few days of hiking and camping followed by a few more in the hospital."

"And they won't stop babying me! Hi, I'm Sydney, by the way."

Shawn watched as his mother slowly walked over to the couch and knelt down next to Sydney. "Oh, Goose, she has your eyes."

"I've been getting that a lot." Sydney smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. By the way, Goose." She turned to face Shawn. "You used to do the same thing if not worse when you were hurt or sick."

Clanging in the kitchen let Shawn know that his father had started on lunch. "How are you, Mom?"

"I'm doing good, I feel like my week has been a little less stressful than your's." There was a teasing light in her eye. "Plus, I became a grandmother this week, well found out I was one, so that's made it a good week."

Turning back to Sydney, she sat down in the chair Gus brought over. "Thanks Gus."

Sydney squirmed a bit under her grandmother's gaze and Shawn held in a chuckle. He was lucky it wasn't him. But he had a feeling that luck would run out and that gaze would turn to him some time when Sydney wasn't around when she asked him how he was taking it.

And since he wasn't sure how he was taking it, he certainly didn't want her asking him. He was taking it good, right? He had this under control.

Right?

Shaking his head, he went and joined his father in the kitchen, something he thought he would never willingly do. "Need any help?"

"You know avoiding your mother is only going to work for so long." His father didn't even turn from where he was cutting something up at the counter.

"Who said I was avoiding her?"

"You came in here, willingly." His father finally looked up. "And your mother is your mother. Right now she's getting a feel for Sydney but you're next."

A knock at the door stopped Shawn from commenting. He stuck his head back into the living room to see Lassie and Jules standing at the door way.

"Mrs. Spencer, when did you get back into town?"

"About an hour ago." His mom smiled. "How are you doing, Detective?"

"I'm doing good."

"And Marlowe?"

"She's fantastic." It was Lassiter's turn to smile. He brought the book he was holding over to Sydney. "Here's the book I was telling you about."

"Thanks!" She took the book and turned it over to read the back cover.

"Hey Jules!" Shawn quickly crossed the room and grabbed his girlfriend around the waist and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "What brings you guys here? I thought you didn't get off for a few more hours."

"We found a lead on where Drimmer and Cowley are hiding." Lassiter handed Shawn a file.

"Chief Vick asked us to pick you up so you could get a psychic reading on it."

"Shawn, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?" His dad called.

"Let me go see what he wants." Shawn wandered back into the kitchen. "You know you can't tell me not to go."

"Quite the opposite." His father was digging for something in a cabinet. "I want you to go and take them down. But I want you go to smart. We both know what both are capable of."

He handed a gun to Shawn and after staring at it for a moment, Shawn tucked it into the waistband of his jeans.

"Be careful but go get them."

"I will." Shawn made his way back into the living room and gave a reassuring smile to Sydney who was watching him. "When we're done with this, you still owe me that rematch."

"Bring it on, Shawn." She smiled.

"Come on, Gus."

The four walked out of the house to where Lassiter's car is waiting. Shawn finally flipped the file open and looked at what they had. There was a cabin, this it was an unoccupied rental. Apparently, a family had rented it for the week but when they arrived they found it to be occupied. The rental company called the SBPD who pulled footage from cameras around the route.

"Let's do this."

Henry sat across the table from Maddie, glass in hand while Sydney napped on the couch in the other room. Since the others had left to try and close the case, it had been quieter than it had been in a week. "Hard to believe, isn't it."

"Rabbit sunbathing in the window, sick kid on the couch." She took of sip of tea. "It's like we've stepped back 18 years."

"She seems to handle being sick better than Shawn."

"Most people handle it better." She laughed before sighing. "There's so much there."

"So much where?"

"Her eyes. Pain, regret, grief, uncertainty. For such a young girl she's been through a lot."

"Please tell me you weren't doing a psych eval." Henry felt one of his eyebrows raise. But at the same time, he knew she had a point, he'd seen a lot of that in Sydney too.

"Not really, it's in the way she acts, the way she looks at you guys, subtle things." She turned to where they could barely see Sydney's sleeping figure on the couch. "How could we have not known?"

"How could we have?" Henry didn't really have an answer. He'd been asking himself that same question for over a week now. And no matter how many times he asked himself, he was no closer to an answer.

"When I heard, I… I was mad at myself for not knowing. I was so wrapped up in my career, and our divorce, and myself…"

"Don't beat yourself up, I was so mad at Shawn, mad at you, mad at everything." Henry once again felt the regret of the years wasted because of that anger. Years where he could have maybe seen Sydney's first Christmas, her first karate tournament, her first dance, her first date, the firsts Shawn mentioned just after she'd walked into their lives.

Movement in the living room got his attention and after a minute, they saw Sydney making her way on crutches into the half-bath by the kitchen. "I can handle this by myself."'

Henry turned to Maddie and they both laughed at her tone and mood, hoping she didn't hear. "Maybe she's more like Shawn than I thought."

He glanced at the closed door. "There's a lot of Shawn in her." Getting up, he went to the fridge. "Hungry kid?"

A flush sounded and she came out a minute later. "Actually, a little."

"Well I'm about to fix you the best steak you've ever eaten."

Sydney came to sit at the table, scooting a chair so she could prop her foot up. "Can't wait."

Henry grabbed the steaks out of the fridge. "You staying for dinner Maddie?"

"As opposed to missing out on your steaks?"

He laughed and headed outside to fire up the grill. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You know, the bar is set high for steaks. I've had some of the best the East Coast has to offer." She called after him.

"We'll see kid, we'll see."

 **AN: Sorry for the shorter chapter. This one just didn't want to go any longer. See you guys next week!**


	14. Merry Christmas

**Author's Note: Just a quick epilogue to wrap things up. I'm already working on the sequel!**

 **Disclaimer: (I've been awful about remembering to put this in) I don't own any of the Psych characters. Writing about them helps ease the pain of missing them.**

"Merry Christmas Papa Bear!" Shawn came in the door arms full of presents. Juliet was close behind with a some dish that she had made for their dinner.

"Merry Christmas, Shawn." His father smiled before wandering back into the kitchen. "Dinner is in about 20 minutes."

"Where's Sydney?" Shawn looked around the living room that already had signs that a teenaged girl lived there. From the stocking that hung on the fire place to some other trinkets, Sydney was already settling in.

"She's upstairs. She got a little moody this afternoon and went to take a nap." His mother came up and he got a hug. He couldn't remember the last time they'd spent Christmas as a family and to be honest he felt like a little kid having his family around to celebrate the holidays.

"Anything I can do to help?" Jules went into the kitchen with her dish leaving Shawn to go wake up Sydney.

Heading upstairs, he passed his old room before making his way to what had been one of the guest rooms but was now Sydney's room. Peeking in, he found her asleep on top of her covers, foot propped up on a pillow, and Chipper sitting beside her. Photographs covered the bed and Shawn could see from her face that she had cried herself to sleep.

"Alright, little buddy. Time to go back in your cage for a bit." Shawn carefully picked up Chipper and put him away. Turning back to the bed, he took a look at the photographs. They were Christmas shots of Sydney and her mom. There were a few of Alex and a woman he didn't recognize but guessed was her wife and a little girl. Picking up the photos, he laid them on the nightstand and went back downstairs.

Sneaking into the kitchen, he grabbed a glass of water and filled it with water before heading back upstairs. Sitting it on the nightstand, he brushed the hair out of Sydney's face. "Alright, kid. It's time to wake up. Rise and shine."

With a grunt, she turned away from him. "Five more minutes."

"Five more minutes and Gus, Lassiter and Marlowe might be here." When did he become the voice of reason? It was not a position he liked.

She turned over and looked at Shawn. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Sydney sat up and gave him a hug. "How bad do I look?"

"Not bad, just like you took a nap."

Sydney eyed the pictures sitting on the night stand. "Christmas was her favorite time of year. We always decorated the house to the nines and invited Alex and his family over and had a blast. Mom liked to make scavenger hunt with my presents. I never had the heart to tell her but she would always give away where they were."

"But you played along?"

She smiled. "What else was I going to do?"

They shared a laugh over that before noise downstairs interrupted them. "Sounds like someone else is here."

"I'll be down in a few minutes. I just want to get cleaned up first."

"Sure thing." He went downstairs to find the Gus putting presents under the tree. "Merry Christmas, buddy. I see you survived another holiday meal with your family with no arrests."

"That still gets referenced every Christmas." Gus came over and exchanged a fist bump with him. "Merry Christmas, Shawn. What smells so good?"

"Not sure, when I talked to Sydney earlier she said she and Mom had been baking all day." Shawn inhaled the delicious aroma that lingered all through the house.

"Where is Sydney?"

Shawn nodded to the stairs. "She's having a bit of a rough day."

"First Christmas without her mom."

Shawn nodded. "She'll be down in a minute."

The front door opened and Lassiter and Marlowe came in, both had armfuls of presents. "Merry Christmas Shawn and Gus." Marlowe was beaming.

"Merry Christmas." Both men answered.

"Merry Christmas, Lassie." Sydney stood at the bottom of the stairs and hobbled to the couch. "Merry Christmas Marlowe and Gus!"

Dinner was a fun event. It had been years since Shawn had done a big Christmas but when Marlowe and his mother cornered the men about the idea, they had decided that they would give it a try. And to Shawn's surprise, he was hoping this would be an annual thing. Everyone sat around the table and everyone was talking at once and Sydney seemed to have snapped out of her mood even though Shawn could still see traces of grief in her eyes.

But she was allowed that.

After dinner everyone settled into the living room and gifts were passed out. And by passed out, Shawn realized a more accurate statement was most everything ended up beside Sydney. She seemed surprised. "Guys, you didn't have to."

"Yeah, yeah hush and open them." Lassiter had a smile on his face.

She made a face at him before opening presents. Wrapped packages gave way to a couple of CDs, books, a Guide to Santa Barbara, a Psych phone case, and some jewelery. Finally, only Shawn's present was left and the butterflies in his stomach grew as he hoped he'd had a good idea.

Sydney unwrapped the small box and pulled out the necklace. "Oh, it's a locket."

Shawn reached around her and helped her open it. Inside was a picture of Sydney and her mother. "To help you keep her close."

Sydney leaned into him and Shawn could see the tears come down her cheeks. "It's perfect. Can you put it on me."

Shawn put the necklace on and Sydney examined it. "I love it."

Grabbing a folder that was on the coffee table, she handed it to Shawn. "My turn, and this is for everyone. Would you do the honors, Shawn?"

Shawn opened the folder and it took everything in him not to react as he examined the contents of the folder. Looking up, he saw that everyone was waiting expectantly. "Hope your passports are up to date."

The expectant looks turned to ones of confusion.

Shawn held up the folder. "We're going to Sydney guys!"

The room erupted in excited chatter and Shawn turned to Sydney. "You didn't have to do that?"

"I always dreamed of going somewhere fun like that with my dad."

He didn't even bother to hold back the smile that came with that comment. It was the first time she referred to him as her dad. "Merry Christmas Sydney."

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

 **AN: Thanks so much for reading and for your feedback! I appreciate it! :) Keep an eye out for the sequel, "Skeletons Don't Always Stay In The Closet."**


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